


The Storm After the Calm

by McNuggets



Series: IZ Mafia AU [2]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Aphrodisiacs, Christmas Party, Demons, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Intended use of a Yaoi Cafe, M/M, Mafia AU, True Name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:35:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 45,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26722273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McNuggets/pseuds/McNuggets
Summary: While Zim and Saffron are trying to work out their differences, Dib and Avery are trying to live with eachother without one of them dying.Unbeknownst to both of them, they're sought after by two different people, one out for revenge and one wanting to take back what's his.
Relationships: Dib (Invader Zim)/Original Male Character(s), Zim (Invader Zim)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: IZ Mafia AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944787
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like expanding, and introducing a character I had for a very long time and yet never used. I finally found a use for him.
> 
> Like always, this tale is two universes thrown together to make a dramatic love story.

One would think that the Massive was a strongly secure titan of a space ship. The behemoth was created solely for the Irken Empire, specifically for the invasion of other planets and destruction of more. Though, no one really knew that while building such a ship, that the one Vortian they put in charge of the designing and creation would secretly set up so many security holes that no Irken would be able to point out. The Massive was a Vortian built ship though and through, but no one expected the one Vortian that designed it to flee the constraints of the Irken Empire to start a resistance group.

Lard Nar made sure to weaken that ship long before it was made, the security holes played off as improvements that saved time and monies. With those security holes he would have more power over the lives of the Irkens residing inside of it. It was nearly perfect for the plan that he had created. The only thing they needed for that plan was a catalyst, and Lard Nar found it in a tiny Irken that had deflected from the Empire.

Khan was a blue-eyed Irken that came in a set, the other two being Adon and Dios. The three Irkens were considered brothers solely on the fact that they were hatched at the same time. They all had something in common, and that was they came to see the truth about the Empire just how Tallest-Elect Dom had. Though, while Dom had up and disappeared without a trace, Adon and Dios joined the Resisty. Khan, however, stayed inside the Massive.

The special thing about Khan was that he was as tiny and small as the once-Invader named Zim, and that the Irken had access to nearly every wing of the Massive due to the fact that he was the head scientist. He worked his back off to achieve that privilege, proving himself to be smarter and more efficient despite his tiny size. He had gained the Tallests’ trust, and he was going to use that trust to help the Resisty in a great way.

The security holes in the Massive were to play a big part, Adon and Dios sneaking into the Massive to help distribute the packages, leaving them in specific places on the ship. No one expected them, they blended in with the rest of the Irkens. The packages themselves were left inside of air ducts, ventilation systems, anywhere that didn’t require prying eyes.

Khan’s position in the plan was the most important one of all, because of his size. Given the items that he needed, he was the one to set everything off, he was the one to trigger the retaliation.

Ships surrounding the Massive would have a front-row seat into witnessing something horrible. An explosion in the snack storage of the Massive, which triggered several other lethal explosions in the entire ship. All the packages triggered to explode set off the ones nearby, and those set off the others, a chain-reaction of massive explosions that decimated the ship itself. The Tallests were caught in the blast, but it was Tallest Purple that had died, along with 75% of the Irkens and the control brains that dwelled within the Massive itself.

Whatever security footage that they could find accounted for one Irken that seemed to have fled the area, someone who looked dreadfully familiar. Someone that the Tallests had a long relationship with, a one-sided devotion that was torn apart by their words alone. Red never thought that Zim would go this far for petty revenge but that didn’t matter, he had bloodlust in his eyes and a new mission. Zim would die by his own hands if it was the last thing he’d ever do.

The Resisty got away with murder, successfully taking out a heavy chunk of the Irken Empire, and Red would never know it was them.

* * *

A year passed since Zim had joined the Syndicate. The crime organization itself had risen to become a powerhouse and Domino was working on Russian partnerships after obtaining trade contacts in most of Europe, thanks to the Crimson Brotherhood. It hadn’t fully disbanded, though its power over the city, New Vera, had significantly fell away. What was left of the Crimson Brotherhood were only the dregs, those who managed to escape Domino’s hand and influence.

Zim had more than proven himself to Domino over the months, and for that he was given the role of Domino’s enforcer. Anyone who had wronged Domino in any way, or planned to wrong him, or even had blinked wrong, Zim was knocking down their door to deliver a message, which usually ended in limbs missing or the occasional death. His name in the city had become synonymous with Saffron, and no one wished to get on his bad side.

Ever since Matthew’s takedown everything had been turning for the better.

“I want you to stop it!”

Well, almost everything.

“I’m not going to stand there and let some male crawl all over you.” Zim hissed out, Saffron climbing into her window with Zim in tow.

“This over possessiveness of yours is getting out of hand.” Saffron glared at him, “It’s my job to cozy up to people for information, I don’t care if we’re together you’re not allowed to interfere with my work!”

Zim scowled, “How am I supposed to act when I see you flirting with another human?”

“Maybe like a civilized individual out on business instead of an overbearing asshole!” She pointed at the door, “My job is to get information. To get information I have to get close to people, sometimes I have to flirt with them, but it’s only to get what I want!” She went over to him, jabbing the Irken in his chest, “And for your information I can defend myself off pretty well, I’ve been doing it long before I’ve run into you!”

Zim swiped her hand away and growled out, whipping her around to slam her into the wall, “Every time I see you flirting with another human all I want to do is tear out his eyes so he doesn’t get to look at you.” He whispered, his breath hot in her ear.

Saffron kept her glare, it didn’t excuse him ruining her contact meetings for the sake of being territorial. “Do you know what self-restraint means?”

Zim kept a firm hold on her arms, the Irken growling low in her ear. It seemed to have an effect ever since the first time they fought, because every time he would do that her knees would buckle and she would eventually lose whatever argument they were having. Saffron had seen what Zim was like when he was nearly feral, she’s been on the receiving end of that unrestrained animalistic desire.

Zim smirked just slightly when he heard her take a sharp inhale, knowing he had her where he wanted her. Though before he could take advantage of that Saffron’s knee flew up and made contact with his gut, hard. Zim broke away from her and let out a wheeze, glaring up at her. ”Saffron!”

”If you think you can get out of this argument by pulling such a cheap shot then you’re dumber than you look.” She moved away from the wall, making her way to the kitchen to look in the fridge. ”You need to work on your jealousy issues.”

”You need to stop giving me reasons to get jealous!” Zim marched over to her to rip the carton of juice out of her hand, narrowing his eyes. ”You don't need need to uncover secrets by practically throwing yourself on the informant!”

”You never done my job, Zim.” She snatched away the carton, ”I’m taking advantage of my femininity and using it for my personal benefit. You're the only person I sleep with, I would assume that would be enough for you.”

“I would feel a lot better if you would let me claim you permanently!” Zim slammed his palms onto the island, “Take the brand!”

There was a moment of silence, and Saffron poured herself a glass of juice. “I told you, I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.”

“We’ve been together for a year, how much longer do you want?”

“Well given our lifespans we’re probably going to outlive all these humans and I’m not sure if I want to give all that lifespan up to be someone’s kismesis or whatever you call it.”

“ _Kismet_.” Zim frowned, settling his elbows on the island, hunching himself over slightly as he watched her. “On my planet Irkens mate for life, you’re my kismet.”

Saffron only drank her juice in uneasy silence. “I’m not an Irken.” She finally said after putting down the glass, looking away. “I’m not ready for that, Zim. You just need to understand that it works differently here.”

Zim actually looked a little hurt by her response, “You just need to understand that I’m not going away, once an Irken sets their sights on a mate they’re not going to go away until one of them dies.”

Saffron didn’t know how to answer that. She wasn’t the type that believed in such a thing. Humans didn’t care about such shit, humans often hooked up with more than one person or cheated on others. Her last relationship was Matthew and that ended in a disaster, and she couldn’t imagine if she allowed herself to be tied down by him. People get fears, people get doubts. Normal human emotions that plagued everyone’s minds. She wasn’t even sure where she was going to be for the rest of her life, and Zim wanted her to stick to him? Time changes people, how could she be so sure that he wouldn’t get bored and cheat, like how Matthew had. She couldn’t believe in that, lifemates. Kismet.

The woman finally looked away, “Just let me do my job, Zim. That’s all I want from you.”

Zim couldn’t look any more bothered by her detached attitude, becoming frustrated quickly. He straightened up, opening his mouth only to shut it, turning away and heading to the window. “I need to cool down.” Lest he destroy the apartment.

Saffron didn’t reply, letting out a sigh and leaning against the refrigerator.

She always knew how to fuck things up, didn’t she?

* * *

Domino was awake when Zim came into the club, ignoring the women that wanted to fawn on him and heading straight for the back room. The man could see that Zim looked disturbed, and wondered if it had something to do with Saffron. He went over to the bar, fixing two glasses of whiskey and setting one of them down onto the coffee table, just in time to watch Zim burst into his office.

“How is it that she is always infuriating?” Zim cried out.

Domino sat himself on the edge of his desk, “You two got in a fight again, did you?”

Zim settled in his frustration for a moment before it left him and he felt exhausted, slumping his shoulders and sitting on the couch. “That’s all we do anymore.”

“Mm. You’re coming to use the rooms more often than not. Tell me, what is it this time?”

“She still won’t accept me as her kismet.” Zim muttered, taking the glass of whiskey and knocking it back. Domino slowly nodded, taking a sip out of his own.

“I’m not surprised.” He finally said, and Zim looked up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Saffron isn’t the type to deal with romance.” Domino tried to think of the correct words, “She’s…emotionally stunted.”

“How can you say that when you told me she was with that Matthew-human?” He scowled, hating that he even had to think about that. The fact that He had touched her.

“Having sex and being romantically involved are two different roads.” Domino told him, “Being lovers don’t require emotional attachments, and she doesn’t know how to handle being emotionally attached.”

Zim sagged even further, falling back against the couch, “So she doesn’t love me.”

“Now I’m not saying that much,” Domino took Zim’s glass to refill it. “Saffron never allows anyone so close to her outside of the job, so there has to be some sort of attachment, but it’s faint. She’s a cynical person at best. She doesn’t believe in something like kismet.”

Zim sighed, staring up at the ceiling fan and reaching up to run his hands over his face. “You seem to know her better than I do.”

“Well, I’ve been with her for longer.” Domino smirked a little, setting the glass back down and resuming his post. “I have five years versus your one. Believe me, in the first year I was as frustrated as you were, she wouldn’t even sleep with me.”

Zim didn’t want to hear that, spreading his claws apart to peek at Domino, “How long will it take for that to change?”

The taller Irken shrugged, “You don’t know with her, I think…if something had happened…to elicit the strongest of emotions out of her…then she might realize it. Until then just do as she asks, give her the space she wants.”

Zim sighed, “Space. Space to do whatever she wants with other humans while I’m out here crushing myself over her.”

Domino knocked back the rest of his drink. “You need to realize that it’s part of her job. Is that why you two got into a fight in the first place?”

There wasn’t an answer to the question, which Domino took it to be a yes. He chuckled, because he felt like he was raising a smeet, despite the fact that they were the same age. “Learn to restrain yourself, Zim.”

With that Domino went back to sitting in his desk chair. Zim continued to be silent, finally leaning forward from the couch and sighing. He never thought in a million years that he would have such trouble holding on to a kismet. Though, the biggest difference was that she wasn’t Irken. He didn’t want to distance himself from her but at the same time he had to, or else he would actually drive her away.

“Zim, I need you to send a message for me.”

The Irken straightened up and took the glass of whiskey to knock it back before standing. “Who’s losing their hand tonight?”

* * *

Discovering that the twins were demons had thrown Dib for a loop, mostly because they didn’t even look the part. Instantly he was curious about them. Their background, their history. He wanted to know what type of demons they were and just how they came to be in a crime organization of all things. He didn’t get any answers from either of them, because while Saffron didn’t know, Avery knew but didn’t want to talk about it.

He couldn’t help but want to know, given his paranormal background he was pulled towards the abnormal. Avery and Saffron were abnormal, though, getting close to either of them for answers was almost impossible. Saffron had Zim, who was more than a little possessive of her, and Avery was an angry individual with violent tendencies. So he did what he did best, he tried to get his information elsewhere.

The biggest source on the occult that he had was his sister, herself working with magic and curses and the like since she was a child. He did his best to describe them (red eyes, some kind of telekinesis,) but he didn’t have much to go on. They didn’t have a demonic form of any kind, they didn’t have any sort of powers that he knew about other than the telekinesis. Or what he _thought_ was telekinesis.

When he wasn’t studying for a final or gathering private information for Domino, he was pouring his spare time into reading about demons. Demons of every type, every size, of every species. He tried to compare those demons with the ones he knew, but hardly gotten anywhere. Within six months he amassed a large collection of demonology books in his apartment.

It wasn’t until he found something interesting, eight months into his findings, that he started to get answers. It was a file that he found on the Swollen Eyeball database, concerning a decade long cold case of a laboratory explosion. The laboratory was owned by a man named Zachariah Genesis, who was partners with another scientist, a man named William Lycroft…

It involved the mysterious death of William Lycroft and his wife, Diana, and the disappearances of his two children…

Avery had said his last name was Lycroft, and while the case file was on the Swollen Eyeball database, there were little to no records on anyone named William Lycroft, Zachariah Genesis, Diana Lycroft, or a mysterious laboratory explosion. It was like someone had thoroughly wiped the records clean and left little to no trace, and if it weren’t for his involvement with the Swollen Eyeballs, he would have never found the file itself.

Yet there wasn’t all that much to go on, except for the location of the explosion site and conspiracy theories that came with the file. There were rumors of human experiments, but the most significant to Dib were the stories from old lab researchers that Zachariah Genesis was an occultist and tried his best to summon demons from within the lab itself. Though, he wouldn’t be able to call any of those sources, because they were all killed mysteriously, having died in their sleep.

Dib felt like he was coming onto answers that no one wanted him to find, but nothing would stick with him until he began having the strangest dreams.

The dream would be the same thing, a masquerade, he was in a tuxedo and a gilded mask replacing his glasses, waiting at the foot of the stairs to an extravagant mansion. He was always waiting for someone, checking his watch and looking towards the top of the stairs.

Then an inky blackness would creep in from all around him, and the one he was waiting for would enter, but they weren’t anyone in particular, an unreadable face, though their eyes were prominent, glowing red irises against black nothingness, the eyes would be on him, from behind the person black tentacles would appear and reach down towards Dib, grasping the man by his limbs. He would be yanked up the stairs, dragged against his will, meeting with the unreadable face. The man’s mouth opened, but only piercing screams would come out.

After that Dib would force himself awake before anything more could happen, laying in a pool of his own sweat. The dream would become frightening fast and too intense, but for some reason he could always pull himself out before something happened to him, because somewhere in the back of his mind he had the feeling that if he stayed there he would have died.

It was a recurring dream that lasted for months without any explanation, something he would attempt to avoid after a while with energy drinks and coffee. He decided that he wouldn’t sleep unless he absolutely had to, working extra hard on his schoolwork and whatever Domino or Avery wanted out of him.

If anything couldn’t get any more strange he was now starting to be visited by the demon in question, something he couldn’t fathom as to why, as Avery didn’t enjoy human contact. It was evident on one night Domino had a party at the Kasbah, inviting everyone under him. Everyone came, from Saffron to Zim, to Damien, Crux, Zet, hell even Braiden and Gillian were there to enjoy the free drinks, everyone had been there save for Avery, who opted to stay at home doing whatever. Avery didn’t like people, and if he weren’t employed by the New Vera Police Department, then Dib would have figured the man would never leave his apartment.

Yet here he was, standing at Dib’s door, his upstairs neighbor having left his own floor to go down to Dib’s, his arms folded and the man looking…tired?

Avery only had one mode, angry.

Before Dib could even greet him Avery proceeded to enter his apartment, shoving past Dib as he moved. “Can I help you?” Dib turned after shutting the door.

“I just want everything you have on Neil DeCaprio.” The man took a casual look around the penthouse apartment.

Dib quirked a brow, moving over to his computer setup, “Usually you want me to email things to you and that’s it.”

Avery mumbled something unintelligible, and Dib looked over at him. “What?”

“I broke my computer.” Avery hissed out in the smallest of whispers.

When Dib still didn’t answer Avery snapped, “I FUCKING BROKE MY COMPUTER!” He cried out, glaring at him. Just like that the tiredness had switched back to anger and Avery was breathing figurative fire.

Dib looked unmoved at the man’s explosion, “What did you do?”

Avery only glared at him, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his white coat and pulling one out.

“Don’t smoke in here!” Dib cried out as Avery lit it up, ignoring the rules for his own benefit. Dib was too tired to even answer, sitting at his computer and pulling up the needed files. “What do you want?”

“Hard copies, I hope you have a printer.” Avery took a drag, his eyes moving to the other’s bookshelf and stopping at the sight of the many demonology books that Dib had on display. “…what’s with these books?” He asked with an irritable edge to his voice.

Dib knew what Avery was looking at without looking at them, “I’m a paranormal investigator.”

“I thought you were a professional hacker.” Avery quipped blandly.

“It’s a side-hobby.” Dib felt annoyed, “How did you break your computer?”

When Avery didn’t answer Dib assumed that he had ruined it in a fit of rage. “Avery.”

The man turned away and went to the window overlooking the city. “It’s not important.”

“Did you throw it against the wall?”

“NO!”

Dib winced, turning away from the computer as the papers were printing, he watched the man stand there, feeling curious. Avery was the only one out of everyone in Domino’s group that he didn’t know about. He was a closed-off person who didn’t give away any secrets. He felt curious about those secrets, what they could be, what they were about. It may have been the paranormal investigator in him, but he felt drawn to that unknown. He wanted to learn all he could. He wanted to be that one person who could get closer to him.

But something like that was a pipe dream that he could only think about. To Avery, Dib was just a colleague, nothing like a friend. Dib didn’t think that Avery even had friends.

“What are you going to do with it?” Dib asked then, crossing his ankles.

Avery kept his focus on the street below. He hated this exact moment. He loathed having to be here, but it was his own damn fault that he was here. He didn’t have enough patience and destroyed his computer at the first sign of trouble. He didn’t want to have to get another one, there was already so much he had on it. “I need it fixed.” He sighed, though that was hard. He didn’t know how to fix computers, just work them.

Dib saw a chance, “I could fix it for you.”

“You?” There was a hint of distaste in Avery’s voice, the man turning back to Dib. “How much do you know about computers?”

“I know enough, like when it lags that you shouldn’t overreact and throw it against the wall.” Dib’s amber eyes brightened when Avery replied with an angry scowl, the man snapping his fingers. “I knew it, that’s what you did.”

“Yes fine, I lost my patience!” Avery’s voice became louder, and he was happy that they were the only ones there. “How fast can you get it done?”

“It depends on how destroyed it is.” Dib leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “I would have to replace parts and order new ones, but I can get it done for you. Considering the state it’s in, it might take a few days or a month.”

“A month?” Avery cried out, “I can’t wait a month!”

“You have to consider the fact that I’m in college at the moment and I’m already doing a job. Fixing your computer is—“

“If I’m out of commission for an entire month then the work you’re doing will be doubled without my assistance.”

Dib didn’t like that deal at all, he would have double the work plus school and a computer to build. That wasn’t how he wanted to play this out. “How about…” Dib turned to the computer again to print out the other file, having found that his previous one had finished. “You use my computer, do my share of the work, and I’ll focus all my time to fixing your mess.”

Avery didn’t enjoy any of this, but he didn’t want to go to an outside source to fix his computer given all the sensitive documents he had. Every time he had done so he wound up killing them just to keep everything secret. No one really thought anything about it, as they always died in their sleep. Wasn’t he trying to do the same to this one?

If the man wouldn’t stop breaking the connection too early then he would have been dead by now, yet Avery found himself stuck. He was forced to keep him alive to serve a purpose. Nevermind if he was trying to pry into things that he shouldn’t be prying into. The fact that Dib wanted him to do his work didn’t bother him at all, because before Dib came along he was doing it all anyhow. “It’s not much of a change from how I used to do things, I accept the offer.” This meant that he had to visit Dib more often, which was the only setback. He sighed, “I should let you know that I work nights, so I hope you’re a heavy sleeper.”

Dib snorted in amusement, “If I get any sleep that is.” He mumbled to himself, turning back to him. “The only thing I want is that if something happens you don’t take your rage out on my equipment. Lag spikes happen naturally.”

Avery’s eye twitched, and he finally decided to leave the safety of the window to go to Dib’s door, “I’ll bring it in, you’re starting tonight.”

With that Avery had left to retrieve his broken machine, and Dib idly wondered if this was a bad idea.

* * *

Tracking an Irken’s pack wasn’t as hard as it seemed. Though, he didn’t think he’d find two signals instead of one. The Irken idly wondered who else was on the planet with him, though part of him figured that perhaps the two of them were working together. Zim couldn’t have done all that damage alone.

Earth was a large planet, larger than Irk. There was a greater population of humans than anything else, and like he had learned from Zim’s transmissions, the lot of them were tall…and stupid. Though, perhaps it was for the best that the majority of humans were stupid, it meant they were of a little to no threat to the Empire…what was left of it anyhow.

Technically he should still be on Irk, trying to gather whoever was last and doing his best to rebuild, he stayed with them for six months to try and lead, but with the control brains gone, the Irkens were a little more lost than they should have been. The Empire had taken a significant hit, and it only took that to introduce a rebellion. He had been through the collapse of his Empire, how the aliens they used to enslave had overturned everything, and he only got out by the skin of his teeth. There wasn’t much he could do, the Empire had been crippled and destroyed, and that was because of Zim.

They had wanted to kill him, given that he was the last remaining Tallest, and thankfully he had the battle skills that got him away from the situation. He was no longer a Tallest, just an Irken with no home, nothing he could call his. He managed to steal what he could, and a part of him wondered if this was what Dom had done. The Irken that he and Purple so freely took advantage of for the sake of their own amusement before he fled the Empire. No Irken of their calibre could die out in space. They were all in the Irken Elite, they knew how to survive.

Now it seemed like he was to survive on this cesspool of a planet, Earth. Zim was here somewhere, in his city, and so was one other. He wouldn’t be satisfied until Zim was dead by his hand, and hopefully somewhere along the line he would be able to figure out what he was going to do once he had fulfilled his task.

Red didn’t really have much else to live for.

He arrived in New Vera under the cover of nightfall, finding an uninhabited building that he could quickly claim as his own. He managed to steal a capsule for his own use, all he had to do was design the house, stick the mechanism into the ground below, and let it do his work for him. After an hour of gathering visual on this planet, he came up with a pretty good idea of what his base should look like, and with that he buried his new home. He expected the rumble and noise that came with it, hiding himself in an alleyway as the building took shape and the power cables attached themselves to nearby establishments. The capsule wasn’t one of the latest models, so he was given less to work with than if he had used the standard-issue Invader modules. He was given what looked like to be a garage, which still looked abandoned, the windows absent.

Inside, it looked like a workshop. Everything he needed for basic survival in reach. He had never been an Invader, he didn’t know how that worked, but at this moment he didn’t really care. His mission wasn’t to conquer this Goliath of a planet, his mission was to kill someone, but in order to do that he had to assimilate with the humans, blend in with the crowd.

Thankfully the vehicle he had doubled as a disguise machine, and he spent minutes sorting through the human bodies and judging them before deciding to design his own.

Disguise chips were advanced enough that all Red needed was a design and he could look like anyone he wanted, staring at his own human visage made him feel different. This was his life now, was it? Blending in with humans… thankfully because of Zim’s transmissions he knew already what to avoid and what was safe. The planet’s water was acidic, and Irkens were allergic to the meat substances that humans devoured. But, Earth had an abundance of snacks. The main source of food on this planet were snacks, and junk food was easily available.

I guess that’s why Zim was able to spend so much time on this planet.

If he loved it so much then Red was going to bury him here, it was just that simple.

However for now, he was curious. This was a new planet and he wished to explore, get himself settled in with the human life. That did humans do on this planet? What was the purpose of their existence? He decided to try and find out, pocketing one of his weapons before leaving the sanctuary of his base.

Going out into the evening, he wondered where all the humans were, the streets were nearly bare. When he looked at all the towering structures he wondered if they were all inside of them, perhaps that was why he could hardly see anyone. His fake gray eyes kept roaming the streets, and when he turned the corner he finally began to see life.

There was thumping music in the distance, cutting though the relative noise of traffic. Red followed the music, wondering what it could be. A block away he could start to see it, a smaller building between skyscrapers, a neon sign above it. His internal translators read it as “Taste”, something he didn’t understand, yet humans were hovering around the building. There was a bigger human in black standing at the entrance, small groups of humans in strange outfits talking and sharing a cigarette. Red ignored them and went towards the entrance, only to be stopped by the bigger human.

“ID.”

Red didn’t know what he said, giving the man a strange look. The bouncer only kept his glare, “No entrance without ID.”

“I don’t need it.” Red finally spoke up, trying to get through. The bouncer only grasped Red by his jacket and tried to drag him, only for Red to whip around and grab the man by the neck, making the bouncer choke as he lifted the man so high that his feet left the ground. The bouncer panicked, trying to breathe. Red finally let him go, dropping the man instantly and he crumpled to the floor. Red didn’t pay him any mind, making his way into the club.

The music was relatively louder the further down the stairway he went, passing lone humans until he stepped into the deafening techno music. Accompanying that were flashing lights, glowing lights, lights of all colors. There was a dance floor in the center, humans all around enjoying themselves. Small tables along the outside of the dance floor with humans enjoying drinks, and a bar at the far right, glowing shelves full of alcohol and one human serving others.

There was some cheering that cut through the music, and Red looked towards the dance floor, heading over there out of curiosity and pushing himself through the crowd. In the center were two humans dancing, in synch, both wearing alternate colors, blue and red. The man in red possessed black hair and dark skin while the woman in blue had brown hair and light skin, both possessing braids and dancing up a storm.

Saffron loved doing this the most, making a display with Damien, the two of them dancing so well that it caused people to stop. They knew each other’s movements, they could predict the other’s moves. When Saffron reached out Damien took her arm and spun her, and when Damien dipped down Saffron rolled back to her previous position using his back. When the music changed so did the dance, the latin notes inciting a steamy tango that the two took advantage of. This was the only thing Saffron could do without worrying about Zim stalking her. He wasn’t afraid of Damien moving in on her due to him only liking men.

Damien grinned at her, “What’re you thinking about?”

Saffron turned her head as Damien ran his hands along her body. “Just Zim.”

The man laughed, reaching up to take her hand so he could spin her, “Like always.”

When Saffron spun she overshot her stop, practically running into another patron of the club. She looked up briefly at the taller man with gray eyes, smiling playfully at him, “Sorry there.”

Red was left staring at her once she returned to Damien’s side, and the dance ended when the music transitioned again, both of the dancers needing to take a break. The crowd broke away then after the two of them left the dance floor, everyone returning to their own dance. Red was the only one standing still, watching the two of them head to the bar.

He didn’t know if he was seeing things or not, the female seemingly having black extensions that she used in the entire dance. Did all humans have them? He glanced around, seeing nothing on anyone else.

He quirked a brow, deciding to follow her, keeping himself somewhat distant as she sat at the bar and ordered a drink.

“I don’t know why you won’t drink alcohol.” Damien said to her, receiving his cinnamon whiskey. “It won’t kill you to let loose.”

“I let loose enough.” Saffron told him, taking her bottled water.

The man glanced up at her, “Is it because… _you know_?”

Saffron thought about it, recalling the first time she had alcohol and something had happened, she lost all her inhibitions and jumped Matthew, who was the one to give it to her. Alcohol worked on her differently than when humans drank it, and she was sure it was also the same for Avery. “Yes.” She answered after a moment.

Damien didn’t say anything else, glancing past Saffron and seeing the tall man in black staring at her. “Don’t look now but you have an admirer.” He grinned.

She took a drink of her water, turning her attention to the man, recognizing him as the one she spun into. He was fairly handsome, red hair, gray eyes, a scar crossing his face. She wondered about the scar. She turned back, “It’s a shame Zim isn’t here.”

Damien snorted, “What, you’d want to provoke him again?”

“It’s fun to do.” She smiled at the memories, “We end up having great sex…but lately he’s been wanting more.”

“Ah, commitments.” Damien took a drink out of his whiskey. “What, not into him that much?”

She sighed, “It’s not that…I…don’t know what will happen years down the line. Irkens mate for life, apparently, and I don’t even know if that kind of thing is possible. I’m not an Irken, what if something happens? What if he realizes that I’m not good enough?”

“You’re underestimating yourself, like always. Zim considers you good enough, that’s why he’s talking about this. There’s nothing wrong in just jumping in feet first.”

“I don’t even know if _I’m_ ready to stay with someone that long.” She sighed, “It’d be so much easier if he wasn’t an alien.”

“He’s not a demon either.” Damien quipped, “If you’re not going to say hi to Mr. Red then mind if I give him a lick?”

Saffron laughed slightly, “Go ahead.”

Damien grinned widely, getting out of his chair just in time for two large men to appear, gathering themselves around the gray-eyed stranger. “Ah, damn.”

Saffron looked away quickly, “Remember where we are.”

Red turned to the large men, looking them up and down, “Is something wrong?”

“Our boss would like to have a word with you.” Said one of them, the other one cracking his knuckles. “Just a word.”

He looked irritated, because he wanted to get closer to that strange human. “If you insist.” It would be horrible to make such a scene with so many people around, anyway. Red got to his feet and followed the one man, while the other kept up the rear.

The three of them headed up a flight of stairs, from there Red could look down and see how the mysterious female and her partner were watching before they looked away. Something told him that perhaps something was wrong.

He entered a room with an elongated hallway, leading to a back room. The two large men knocked on the door once they were there.

When they entered the room there was the bouncer from before, standing off to the side. The room looked like an office, though the most peculiar part about it was hat the floor was mostly glass, overlooking the club down below, mainly the dance floor. Red looked away from that and to the desk, where a man sat there, staring at him listlessly.

A man with short white-blonde hair, his skin as pale as his hair but the suit he was wearing an immaculate ivory. His eyes were blue, cold as ice as they looked over Red with scrutiny. “You’re the one who strangled Murphy.” He said it like it was a fact, not a question.

Red folded his arms, “Maybe.”

The blonde chuckled slightly, “Not everyone can lift up a three-hundred pound weightlifter with such ease. All over the fact that you didn’t have ID.”

“Does that matter?” Red questioned idly, “I wanted in, I got in.”

“Yes, but I really don’t like it when someone tries to kill my own employees for the sake of entrance.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill him.” Red glanced over at the bouncer, “I was establishing my power over the situation through brute strength.” He didn’t really enjoy having to talk to this human, “Can I go now?”

Gabriel smiled, “Not yet. Are you from here?”

“Not really.”

“Ah.” The man stood up, “What’s your name?”

Red thought about it, weighing his options. He didn’t want to make his name known just in case Zim got wind of it, yet… “Crimson.”

“Crimson.” The man repeated, “You do know this is a dangerous city, do you?”

Red quirked a brow, “How dangerous is dangerous?”

Gabriel took out a gun from his desk and laid it out on the table, “You’re liable to be shot and killed for being a smartass.”

“That’s assuming that I’m weaker than the one holding the weapon.” Red countered.

Gabriel should have been annoyed at the man’s comments, but he was instead amused. This man was amusing, he was actually interesting. No one could topple his best bouncer so easily. “Crimson, since you’re not from here…I’m going to let you in on a secret.” Gabriel made his way around the table, “My name is Gabriel, I’m what you call a crime boss. I’m in the business of killing people and gathering power so I can control this city. Right now, the one that’s the weakest in this room is _you_.”

Red found this human amusing if he assumed he was more powerful than a former Tallest, but he decided to play along. “Your point being?”

Gabriel took that in, “Your smart mouth is going to get you killed someday, you know that?” He quirked a grin, “Be thankful that I’m in a fun mood. Now, considering what you’ve done to catch my attention I want to make you an offer. You’re apparently strong, and I like strength. Strong men have an ability to go places weaker men cannot. But, the question on my mind is if you can handle a weapon.”

Red barked out a laugh at the question, “Who would I be if I couldn’t handle a weapon? I was a soldier, I’ve killed people before.”

Gabriel looked pleased at the answer, “How do you feel about killing now?”

“That’s the only reason why I’m here.” Red said honestly, “I have business…with an old… _friend_.” The term friend was laughable from Red’s perspective, but it didn’t seem to matter to Gabriel. The man only nodded, staring at Red as he calculated his next move.

Gabriel had an idea. “I have friends in high places, give me the man’s name. We could find him for you.”

Red tilted his head curiously, wondering what the catch may be for such an offer. But he highly doubted that Zim was using his own name. “His name is Zim.”

There was a deafening silence in the room, and Gabriel stared at him for quite some time. Red wondered what was it that made them so quiet, “What?”

Then, Gabriel started to laugh. A loud cackling laugh full of amusement and mirth, and it wasn’t long until his bodyguards began to join him, hesitant at first but letting themselves go, as if Red spoke some sort of cosmic joke that made them lose it. Though, when Gabriel stopped, so did they. “Zim, there’s only one Zim in this city and we all know him perfectly well.”

Red was taken aback, “You know Zim?” What the fuck did he do to gain such notoriety?

“Everyone knows Zim. He’s the Syndicate’s number one enforcer.” Gabriel grinned like a shark, “He works under Domino.”

“What’s…the Syndicate?”

“The Syndicate is the most powerful crime group in this city, they practically own New Vera as well as half the country.” Gabriel explained, “Zim has only been with them for a year but he’s made himself a name. He’s known to be vicious and unapologetic, and he’s rumored to be Runa’s lover.”

Who was Runa? Red quirked a brow in question when the name was mentioned and Gabriel chuckled, “Runa is the Syndicate’s number two, going by Saffron. She knows everyone and everything that goes on in this city. She has informants everywhere, and enough power to take down anyone. I’ve been wanting to take that group down so my own could flourish.”

He was starting to catch on, there was a mafia in the city that people were trying to compete with. He idly wondered why Zim was in the mafia to begin with and had a feeling that it was with their help that he was able to do what he did. Well played, Zim, you made a name for yourself in this garbage den of a planet. Red unfolded his arms, putting his hands in his pockets. “You just made my search a little easier.”

Gabriel sat on the edge of his desk, “If you’re willing, I can help you achieve your task, all I want from you is your assistance. Have a seat.”

Red nodded, finding the nearest chair and sitting down, the bodyguards from before had taken up post at the doors, and the bouncer had left. “What would you need my help with?”

Gabriel snapped his fingers, and one of the bodyguards headed to the bar, fixing two shots of vodka, delivering it to both of them. Gabriel downed his shot quickly, waiting for Red to do the same. The taller Irken only shrugged and drank it, tasting the sting and the curl of the alcohol. It wasn’t bad, but he’s had harder. “I want to pick off the strongest parts of the Syndicate one by one. They don’t know me, not just yet. I’m also from out of the city, but I’ve been following Runa and her brother Avery for years. I have a little history with the two of them, and I would like to…make an impression.” He smiled, which looked more vile than if he didn’t. “Though, while I wish to do that I don’t want to reveal myself just yet, so I would love to have you get close to them for me, by doing that you get close to Zim, as well as Domino, and I would be delighted if you pick them off for me.”

Red crossed his legs and leaned forward, settling his chin in his hand. “You’re asking me to infiltrate another crime organization and assassinate the heads.”

“If you want to put it that way, yes…but my only stipulation is that Runa and Avery are untouched. They’re a little… _harder_ …to kill.”

Red looked down at the dance floor, seeing how people were still dancing. “How hard is harder?”

“They’re demonic hybrids.” Gabriel said immediately, and Red again looked taken aback.

“Demonic what?” What the fuck were demonics?

Gabriel shrugged, “It’s a long story I wouldn’t want to bore you with, just get close to them.”

Red grinned slowly, assassinating some people just to get to Zim, he could do that without using his hands. He now felt glad that he came into this loud and blinding building. “Is that all?”

Gabriel considered what else he would have to do, “You don’t have any valid ID on you, do you?”

Red shrugged, “I didn’t come here with much of anything.”

“Pity, you’re going to need that to get places…” He cracked his knuckles, thinking. “Take the man to see Liam. He’ll fix you an ID.”

The two bodyguards stepped forward, and Red glanced back at them. “Who’s Liam?”

“My best forgery specialist, he can produce all the documents you need and they’re always perfect. Tell him I sent you.”

Gabriel sat back and watched as Red left the office, the man turning to stare down at the club down below.

Two patrons were missing, who were once occupying the bar. He chuckled, “We’ll meet soon, Lycroft.”


	2. Chapter 2

Winter was a horrid season on Earth, but over the years Zim had gotten used to the toxic frozen ice that known as snow that would rain down upon the planet. That’s where his hoodies came in handy, as well as emergency paste applied every morning. Snow was better to handle than water, but when it melted that’s when everything would turn out worse. Thankfully, he learned about things like snow boots and water proof pants. The warmth would come from insulated shirts and things like scarves.

He preferred the summer, he really did.

Coming into the Kasbah was a slight hassle every time, as he would have to fend off Karrie. And Lisa, and Henrietta, and Diamond, about every entertainer in the club who wished to thrust their breasts in his face and ask him about his day. It was because they knew that him and Saffron weren’t ‘together’, not in the way he’d like. She didn’t accept his claim on him, and so he was still ‘available’. If she would accept his claim then he was sure they would back off, and so would the males going after her.

Try as he might, she still wasn’t ready. It was frustrating, and he felt a little angry. He was already devoted to her, what more could she want? He would kill for her, he’d take a bullet for her, he’d do whatever she wanted, and the most she wanted was to be left alone. He didn’t understand, was there something about demonic culture that he was missing? It was because of that, wasn’t it? He knew fuck all about demons, but she acted more like a human than anything. Human culture when it came to relationships were varied, but had a running theme. Humans rarely mated for life.

He didn’t know how to get her to change her mind. She was cynical and stubborn, evaded his questions often and changed the subject when she could. The only thing he could do was be patient and wait, even if it was tough to do so when her job involved her flirting with others. He wasn’t going to give up until he got what he wanted.

He heard it once he stepped into the club, the calls from the entertainers who zeroed in on his arrival. He avoided their eye contact and hurried towards the back room. He wasn’t the only one there, the Twins were in the hallway, gathered around Monday holding a plant over her head.

“It’s tradition Daye.” Braiden grinned at her.

“Aye, a kiss under the mistletoe.”

Zim blinked, wondering what the fuck was going on.

Monday giggled behind her hand, looking up at the twins happily and leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss them both on their cheeks. The two Irishmen grinned widely at what had happened.

“Now I have to put some files away.” She said then, parting from the two of them and giggling as she left.

Zim stared on, his eyes on the mistletoe. “What sorcery is that?”

Braiden saw Zim first, snorting in amusement, “Ye’ve never seen a mistletoe?”

“No, I haven’t.” Zim stated, he tried to remember one last winter, never having laid eyes on one.“How does it entice the female to show you affection?”

The twins laughed, heading over to Zim to flank both of his sides. They held up each of their sprigs. “It’s tradition, ye hold it over the lass’s head and they’re to kiss you.”

“It’s a great ice-breaker.” Braiden smiled, “Though it works for anyone—“

The twins pretended to lean in and Zim shoved the two of them away, “I’m not your love-pig!”

They laughed again, and Gillian tossed his over to Zim, “Try it, Zim, do it to Saffy.”

“It’s like magic.”

The two of them headed out to the main club, and Zim was left with a sprig of mistletoe in his hands. Tradition? So females were obligated to show affection once they were presented with one of these? So that meant if he presented one to Saffron then she would be forced to love him back.

He grinned slightly, it was the only time he appreciated the twins’s existences.

Zim suddenly felt energized, continuing down the hallway and to the elevator. He bounced on his heels at the thought, staring at the mistletoe with a grin. When he got out he went straight to Domino’s office. He looked pleased that Saffron was there already, deciding to use the gift he was given.

Domino quirked a brow as Zim walked straight to her, presenting her with the mistletoe. “Tradition states that you are to give me your affection once I give you this…thing. Now, Zim will await the return of your affections.”

There was a beat of silence in the room, and Domino was doing his best to hold down his laugher. Saffron only stared down at the sprig of mistletoe, looking back at Zim, back down at the plant. “Lost in translation.” She finally said, moving to kiss Zim on the forehead. “There, I’m leaving now.”

Zim blinked, touching his forehead as Saffron passed him and headed out the door, hearing Domino’s snickers. Zim turned his head towards the other Irken in the room, glaring at him. “What?”

“It’s like I’m reliving my first years on this planet.” Domino mused, finally letting out a laugh.

Zim scowled, holding the mistletoe over towards him and shaking it, “I assumed that this would force Saffron to return my claim!”

“Don’t wave it near me, or I might kiss you too.” Domino grinned, laughing again when Zim yanked it back. “It has no use, it’s only a tiny plant that humans have designed a kissing game around. I don’t quite understand it myself but it got me a lot of attention when I first tried it.” He went back to what he was doing, sorting the stacks of letters on his desk. Domino pulled one out, labelled Zim, sliding it across the desk. “Here’s yours.”

Zim knew what this was, taking the letter and looking it over, the envelope itself was fancy and he knew the invitation inside was just as elegant. He sighed, “Christmas party.”

Domino’s grin became wider, “The best time of the year.”

Zim has gone though many Christmasses and they’ve all been horrible experiences, ever since he created that fucking Santa suit. Only when he became one of Domino’s men that he had seen the holiday actually be fun. Domino always held a Christmas party for the members of the Syndicate, holding it inside the club itself, it was mostly an excuse for everyone to consume vast amounts of alcohol and have fun. Damien was always shitfaced by the end of it. Though, like last year, it was a night for him and Saffron to make up whatever fight they had, inside one of the upper rooms. It wasn’t a bad night.

“I’m bringing in alcohol straight from Japan, my partnerships in the country have just amassed a sake distributor, it’s amazing.” Domino whistled lightly, “Next year I hope to get a vodka factory in Russia I’ve had my eye on. We’ve been cozying up to the Russian mob.”

“You seem to have an obsession with alcohol.” Zim pointed out, putting his invite in his pocket.

“It’s one of the few luxuries that I’ve grown accustomed to being Tallest-elect, and while Earth’s alcohol isn’t as strong it’s still delightful.” To prove his point he had stood up to go to his bar, taking out a glass and mixing a cocktail. “I always wondered if I should go visit Foodcourtia to get some Vortian alcohol but I have a feeling just a shot of it would kill a human.”

Zim winced, “Yeah I wouldn’t suggest giving Damien access to Vortian alcohol.” Or Crux for that matter.

“If he ever got a hold of Galactic Heat I wouldn’t be able to pry him off of me.” Domino mused.

The thought of Domino having that drink was enough to make him thankful that he didn’t. It was considered a drug, made directly on Foodcourtia in the underground, where the most illegal of foods were sold. It was a straight-up pure undiluted aphrodisiac that took away inhibitions. Some species used it to lure mates, others used it for fun, but either way it was illegal.

Domino went back to the desk with his cocktail, which had heavy amounts of everclear, being near Irken standards. He sifted though his invites, picking out two of them. “I want you to drop by the penthouse and deliver these.” He flipped the two invitations over to them, marked Dib and Avery. “They hardly come into the office as it is.”

Zim took them, staring at Dib’s invitation the longest. He had to remember that Dib was on Domino’s payroll. When he looked at Avery’s invite he looked doubtful that the other would attend, as he didn’t last year. Everyone knew Avery didn’t enjoy _people_. “Why give Avery one when he doesn’t even attend?”

Domino shrugged, “I’m waiting for the year that he decides to surprise me.”

The reply had the Irken snorting in amusement, Zim clicking his tongue in distaste. “Don’t wait too long.”

Zim looked back at the sprig of mistletoe and felt a surge of disappointment, finally flicking it towards the trash. “Stupid Earth ‘traditions’.” He mumbled to himself as he left the office.

Domino eyed his trash bin, waiting for a moment longer before digging the sprig out. “I could get some good action out of this.” He said to himself, grinning.

* * *

Dib was used to having a roommate during his time in college. When he lived up in New York and attending the college in Bycoast he thought surely that sharing a room with a total stranger would be hard to get used to, only to befriend that roommate only two months in and the two of them would come to a mutual understanding when it came to things that would normally befall on a pair of roommates. He considered that time a good experience.

He now wished he was back with that roommate, because the temporary one he had now was a nightmare. Avery…

Avery was temperamental. Cranky. Angry. Smoked too much. Was quick to annoy. Never ate. Never slept. Never bathed it seemed. He was at Dib’s computer 24/7, while Dib was left either studying, doing homework, or working on his broken computer.

Speaking of the broken computer. He had the biggest feeling that not only did Avery slam it into the wall, that he stomped on it as well. The only thing salvageable was the hard drive, the motherboard was cracked, the graphic cards were snapped, the CD/DVD drive was unrepairable, it was better if Dib had bought a new one at a store and just switched the hard drives out, but Avery wouldn’t accept such an easy way out. Dib had to order the new parts, the new casing, almost everything that he needed to put together something brand-new and custom made.

Yet at the same time, he was babysitting a workaholic.

“You’re going to get lung cancer at the rate you’re going.” Dib said as he picked up Avery’s overwhelmed ashtray and dumped it into the bin. The man at the computer didn’t take his eyes away from Dib’s computer screen, taking out the one he had in his mouth to flick the ashes in the now-empty tray.

“Carcinogens don’t harm me.” Avery said simply.

“How long have you been awake?” Dib questioned again, still working on cleaning the desk. “Have you even eat anything?”

“Just shut up and let me do my work.”

Dib groaned, “You’re going to have to sleep!” Hell, he felt like he was going to drop soon, power naps in the library didn’t help.

“I don’t need it.” Avery bit back, “Do you want me to do your work or is this you trying to—“

The two of them fell silent as a loud growling was heard, and Dib stared at Avery. The man didn’t pay it any mind. “When was the last time you ate?” Dib asked.

“I don’t remember.” Avery wasn’t as angry as he was before, but more unsettled. He hated that Dib was hovering around him so much. This was why he hated to leave his apartment. He preferred to live alone. Hell, not even his own colleagues in the forensics department would bother him…but they knew to keep their distance. With Dib, he knew but he didn’t _care_.

Dib looked actually bothered by Avery’s lack of self-care. Was this how it was in his own apartment? He wondered how his apartment looked, and he hardly thought that it looked anywhere near livable if Avery had a problem taking care of himself. He was actually feeling concerned over this asshole, and it pissed him off. He turned away without a word, heading to the kitchen.

Avery paid Dib no mind, typing without a break. He was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice Dib set down a plate in front of him, occupied by a sandwich. He could smell the scent of peanut butter, slowly stopping what he was doing to look down at the food. “Huh?”

“You need to eat something.” Dib said tiredly, “You’ve been working nonstop for thirty-two hours.”

Avery continued to stare at the sandwich, “If you don’t eat it I’m going to force you.” Dib said as he debated over his choices, and Avery grimaced, taking one half of it while his other hand continued typing. It tasted fresh and cold, the jelly was grape and the peanut butter was chunky while the bread was wheat. He refused to acknowledge that it was an adequate sandwich, as he didn’t want to get into the habit of praising people.

While Avery ate, Dib’s features relaxed slightly and he sighed, looking over at the project he was currently on. It would be a couple of days until his ordered parts would arrive at his door, and he felt like dropping at any moment. He looked back at Avery, knowing Dib would have to force him to take a shower soon. Instead of saying anything, Dib’s curiosity caught up with him, and he stepped away. He needed to see how Avery’s apartment looked. He silently excused himself, leaving his own apartment quietly and stepping into the elevator, pressing the floor above his own.

The penthouse was a secure building, to get into it you needed a security code, but even with that there were locks on each door. Dib got out when the elevator doors opened, stepping over to the apartment door and pulling out his pocket knife. Breaking into a house was easy when you knew what to do, and apartments weren’t all that different. He had to do this before already when he locked himself out of his own one day.

When he unlocked the door Dib smiled slightly, standing back up and turning the knob. As he walked in he was presented with what he had expected. It looked unlivable. Clothing on the floor, the trash bins overfilled with crumpled papers and cigarette butts, a destruction site that looked to be where the computer met its end. Stacks and stacks of books on every surface. It lacked the smell of trash, but he had a feeling that he didn’t even eat to begin with. Walking into the kitchen he was met with take-out boxes piling the trash but little to no food mess. The fridge was even more take-out boxes, and Dib cringed at the amount of sodium that the man consumed daily. He left that room and made his way down the hall, worried about the bedroom.

Upon entering, he noticed more clothes on the floor, like he took it off and left it where it fell. The bed was unmade, in the state that it was left in whenever Avery had decided to sleep. It was strange, because he assumed Avery didn’t sleep at all…though the sleeping pills on the nightstand gave him a clue.

The longer he stared at the bed the more he felt drawn to it, his body practically begging him to give himself a break. Dib sighed, deciding to sit down on the edge of the bed for a moment before laying back, grabbing a fistful of the blanket next to him and pulling it up. The blankets had a distinct scent to them, smoke, ashes and sweat. His eyes fluttered shut before he knew it, finding the scent comforting somehow.

One floor down Avery had finished his sandwich, having emailed one assignment and picking up on another without a break in between. He barely noticed that Dib had left, but when someone started ringing the doorbell he wondered just where the fuck Dib was. Each ring made his eye twitch, “Membrane!” Avery barked out, but there was no answer, only another ring. “Membrane!”

At the fifth ring Avery let out a groan of frustration, pushing himself out of the chair and storming over to the door, wondering where the fuck Dib had gone. “WHAT?” His voice was rough as he shouted, his anger peaking until he was face to face with the person behind the door. “Zim?” His anger backtracked into confusion, “What?”

Zim was holding the invites in his claws, looking entirely bored at the fact that he was here, yet the fact that Avery answered Dib’s door made him instantly curious. “Why are you in the Dib-thing’s domicile?”

“It’s a long story.” Avery muttered, “What do you want?”

Zim waved the invites in Avery’s face, “Domino sent me.”

The brunette snatched away the invites, knowing what they were immediately. “He still sent me one.” He commented in dry amusement.

“He’s waiting for a surprise.” Zim surmised, taking a long look inside the apartment. “Did you kill Dib or something?”

Avery stilled slightly and rolled his eyes, turning away to re-enter the living room. “He must have stepped out.”

Zim remained where he was, “Right.” He turned away then, pulling his hood back up, “Tell Dib his head is still big, I got work to do.”

Avery watched the alien leave, still unnerved that Dib wasn’t here. Where could he have gone? The man headed to the kitchen counter, seeing Dib’s car keys still lying where he left them. He didn’t go anywhere… He checked the other rooms, not finding him in any of them, not even in his own bedroom.

A cold chill went down Avery’s spine and he thought, glancing up at the ceiling before heading straight for the front door and into the elevator. He pressed the button to his own floor and waited, entering the hallway once he was there and finding his own door unlocked. His eye twitched dangerously and his hands began to shake, “That little fucking—“ He made his way inside, keeping himself quiet. If that nosy piece of shit was snooping around his apartment looking for answers then he was going to flay him alive before killing him, though with each room he checked he found no one. Weird, it was oddly quiet as well.

When Avery finally stepped into the bedroom he caught the man twisted in his bed, half under the covers in a deep sleep. Avery stepped over to the bed, folding his arms and looking down at him. He had a right mind to rip him awake and beat him for breaking into his apartment, glaring at the man as he slept soundly…

Though… it had been three days since he began working in Dib’s apartment and he’d hardly witnessed the man sleeping. Was Dib doing his best to keep himself awake?

Was that because of the nightmares Avery had inflicted onto him? That had to be the only explanation. The man sighed, continuing to stare at the sleeping computer nerd as he tried to contemplate his next move.

Avery laid a knee onto the side of the bed, leaning over Dib and raising his hand towards the other’s head. He could just take care of his chances now. The man was vulnerable and he could be killed so easily now that Avery was within touching range. The thought was tempting, and he would be rid of the man for good. Though, the longer he stared at Dib’s sleeping face the more he hesitated, soon lowering his hand and sighing. He hated this. With anyone else he would have no hesitation to kill them but with Dib he couldn’t bring himself to even go through with it now that the man was in such an easy position. Was he getting too soft? No, that wasn’t it. It was Dib.

He had to admit that the man didn’t look as annoying when he was asleep. Almost cute. That would be a thought that Avery would deny having in the future. He gave up on his plan, leaning away and deciding to sit next to him on the bed. He would wait for the man to wake up before laying into him for trespassing.

* * *

_“I want you to get yourself close to Runa Lycroft. She’s the most important member in the Syndicate for the knowledge she possesses. She goes by the name Saffron, but do not say her name until she gives it to you. Your mission is to get close enough to her that you become part of the Syndicate. This is the only thing I want from you right now.”_

So that female he ran into at the club that night was her. Runa. Saffron. He knew there was something different about her. She had an air of confidence he has failed to see in humans so far. The knowledge that she had power and influence. The same air as a ruler, yet she wasn’t one at all.

Though while tracking someone down was easy, this city was so full of humans that it was slightly difficult to search for the one he wanted. The fact that this planet was so overpopulated with humans disgusted him. Their numbers were three times the numbers of Irk. It was a travesty that his own planet had lost to an uprising while this planet full of stupid humans got to continue existing.

Though it was curious, that the female wasn’t a human at all.

After Gabriel had told him about demons he decided to research it. Demons were archaic entities that existed alongside humans that possessed unnatural abilities, yet while humans roamed the planet freely, they were limited. The number of demons that existed were somewhat large. It was a species that he didn’t know about, but was interested in all the same.

His look-out spot was in the downtown part of the city, the most overpopulated area. Humans moved in droves, from one place to another like hive minded things. From his spot on a rooftop it was easy for him to scan the area, the photo of Saffron in his hand as he tried to look for the familiar face. Apparently she passed this area often, the female having no moving vehicle and opting for walking.

Red put the photo away in his pocket, sighing. What was he going to do when this was all over with? He couldn’t go back to Irk, the uprising from the slaves made it so being an Irken was practically a death sentence. If he went anywhere else where the Empire once held rule he would be easily shot down, and same goes for outside of the Empire, where Irkens weren’t treated kindly to begin with. He was basically a nomad at this point. Would it be possible to repopulate the Irken species? That required a female if he wanted to do it the archaic way of natural birthing, cloning was out of the question.

Staring idly down at the humans he wondered about his future, how bleak it looked and if he should hit the self-destruct button once he took care of Zim. There really wasn’t much of a role for him anymore, was there?

He would have thought more of it but his Irken senses picked up someone’s footsteps behind him. He blinked, turning around. How could someone be up here? He went still at the sight of the female behind him.

“Huh.”

Saffron didn’t expect to see some random man sitting at the edge of the roof, but there was always a first time for everything. “If you’re going to jump I’d say go do it at the bridge, drowning is better than a blunt force impact.”

Red blinked. “I’m not planning to jump.”

She suddenly regretted saying that, “Well…no one really comes up to a rooftop unless they’re thinking of ending it all.”

“Then why are you here?” He countered, finally getting to his feet so he could turn to her.

“Short cut.” She traced her finger to the other side of the building, slowly recognizing the man as the one from the club. “I’ve seen you before.”

“I’ve seen _you_ before.” He folded his arms.

Saffron tilted her head, also remembering him getting picked up by the bodyguards, which happened before Damien suggested they should leave. She wondered what that was about, but knew better not to ask. Though, now that she was seeing him in broad daylight, she had to admit that Damien was right about him being good looking. “Are you new here?”

Red didn’t answer for a moment, wondering about what answer to give her. “Maybe.”

“Ah, knew it.” She grinned, “I know everyone in this city and you’re a fresh face, where’re you from?”

“Uh…out of town.” He paused for a moment, quirking a brow, “How the fuck do you know everyone in this city?” He gestured to the street behind him, “There’s so many people.”

“I get out a lot.” Saffron shrugged, “Everyone knows me, I know everyone. My name is Saffron.”

There’s the name. “Crimson.”

“Crimson.” Saffron thought the name over, “How about Crim?”

“Crim…”

What a strange female.

Saffron checked her watch, looking away and towards a building. “I need to be somewhere, I’ll catch you.” She turned to leave, heading towards the edge of the building.

“Wait—“ Red hurried after her as she jumped without even thinking, looking over the edge to see her land two stories down onto a lower roof and shimmying down a pipe to parkour her way to the floor. He looked on, not knowing what to say before making the jump. He couldn’t let her out of his sight.

He kept a good distance behind her, his eyes focused on the umbrella strapped to her back. When she turned to go into a building he made his way to the same establishment, settling himself at the window and peering inside. It looked like a restaurant, and Saffron was heading to the corner to meet with another male.

He frowned, watching the exchange. It seemed to be a normal meeting, yet unlike the other patrons, neither of them had food. His eyes became sidetracked at the sight of a pizza being delivered, and he wondered when was the last time he ate. No, don’t get side-tracked. He looked back at Saffron, and she looked…close…to the male. Was that her mate?

Unbeknownst to Red, another man had stopped at the window and looked inside, his violet eyes angry at the sight before him. The man in the purple hoodie cursed under his breath, in the Irken language, which caught Red’s attention right away. He turned his head, watching the black-haired human grit his teeth and enter the restaurant. He couldn’t hear anything, but the male next to Saffron had his attention caught, the black-haired human seemingly yelling at them.

Saffron looked agitated at the black-haired human’s appearance but before she could do anything the bigger male at her side left the table to get in the other human’s face. The two males stared each other down and it looked like a fight was going to happen. Was this a territorial display? It looked like they were fighting about…her. Red blinked, his gaze going to Saffron. Was she a sought-after female?

The woman only looked increasingly agitated, going over to the human she was meeting with and trying to get between them, the rest of the humans in there only watched on as if it was a show. Red was growing frustrated, moving away from the window.

“If she’s your woman as you say then why is she all over me?” The human growled at Zim, who was doing his best not to murder a human in public.

“BECAUSE—“ He stopped himself, not wanting to out Saffron’s profession. He quickly looked at Saffron, seeing her frustration. “THAT IS NOT THE POINT!”

“Zim.”

Red entered as soon as Zim’s name was mentioned, looking at the black-haired human oddly. That was Zim?

“If she’s not yours then you don’t mind if I—“ The human reached over and grabbed Saffron to attempt to kiss her, and Saffron pulled away.

“Jimmy if you’re trying to piss me off I’m really going to make you regret it.” Saffron growled out warningly.

“I’m just makin’ a point sweetheart. If this guy says you’re his then you wouldn’t be meetin’ with another man would ya?”

“Jimmy—“

“Saffron belongs to me, you ignorant flesh bag!”

As soon as it came out of Zim’s mouth he had a feeling it was the worst thing to say, as Saffron stared scathingly at Zim. “I thought we talked about this, Zim.” She hissed out, “I didn’t _agree_ to that yet.”

Red quirked a brow, staying at the door. This had just gotten interesting.

“If you would just agree to be my kismet then this wouldn’t be happening!” Zim snapped, “I wouldn’t have to worry about you going off and toying with other males for your own pleasure and entertainment!”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t play stupid, you don’t have to flirt with them but you do just to piss me off!”

Saffron glared at him. They were getting into the same argument they did last time! “Oh believe me Zim if I was doing anything to piss you off on purpose then you would know the difference!” Her eyes wandered the room and found the gray eyes belonging to Crimson. A dark thought passed her and she didn’t really care if she was ruining a meeting, she just wanted to get a point across. “I can perfectly well decide who I can or cannot flirt with.” She shoved herself past Zim and towards Red, grasping the man by the neck and pulling him down far enough to kiss him hard.

Red was completely taken-aback by the gesture, his eyes wide as she kissed him. He felt his own hands tremble but before he could return it she stopped, turning back to Zim. “Is that enough for you or should I head to third base?”

Zim made an unholy squealing noise, his claws becoming fists as his eyes filled with overwhelming anger, mainly at the male she was displaying herself towards. He threw out his fist, pointing at the two of them, opening and shutting his mouth and trying to get a word out, yet nothing else came out but screeching.

Saffron looked satisfied at the reaction, “Let’s reschedule, Jimmy. Call you later.” She turned then, moving past Red and leaving the building. Red looked at Zim again, watching him fume and deciding to leave, his mind on Saffron at the moment.

She kissed him. She just kissed him? No it wasn’t a display of affection it was to provoke Zim. But why would she provoke Zim. The longer he thought about the exchange the more he remembered a special word. Kismet. He wanted her to be his life mate, but apparently she didn’t want that at all. He stared at the woman who was ahead of him. Zim was pursuing her…to be his kismet.

“Wait!” Red called out to her, jogging after the woman as she silently brooded. Saffron was angry that Zim was ruining her work for her. She barely noticed the stares or the man trying to get her attention. When Red laid his hand on her shoulder she jerked away violently, turning around .“What did I fucking tell you—oh—“ She expected it to be Zim but instead it was Mr. Handsome. She glanced around, “What?”

“What do you mean what?” Red scowled, “You kiss me in public and leave and you don’t expect me to ask you why?”

She realized her mistake, laughing nervously. “Sorry, you were caught in my hate loop.” She smiled slightly, “I…have an overly jealous boyfriend.”

Red snorted in amusement, “He seemed more than jealous, completely territorial.”

“Yeah…” Saffron sighed, “That’s what I get for dating an Irk—nevermind.” She looked away and checked her watch, “He’s more than a handful.”

Red slipped his hands in his pockets, “Care to talk about it?”

Saffron sighed again, “I can’t really talk about it.”

“Try me.”

Two hours later the two of them were sitting inside of a MacMeatys, Saffron having ordered a hamburger while Red had three orders of fries. “And he has the audacity to think he can control who I’m meeting. I mean I have a job where I talk to people. I gather information and he’s trying to ruin what I’m working so hard for!” She was pissed off just talking about it, taking the last bite of her hamburger and crumpling the wrapper. “Then he gets pissed off when I want my space? It’s completely stupid! I don’t care if his kind mates for life I’m not even sure if I want that yet.”

Red tilted his head, picking up a fry. “His kind?”

Saffron realized what she just said, “Uh…his family, he’s from a super conservative family that doesn’t believe in divorce.”

The Irken snorted in amusement, munching on a few more fries. Zim sounded desperate if he was so adamant on making her his kismet. It was almost sad, like a smeet that was insecure over losing a toy. “You don’t believe in that.”

“I…don’t know if I do.” Saffron folded her hands together, “My life is always full of unknowns, I like the fact that nothing is definite. I don’t know what I’d be wanting to do later on ten years from now. I like adventure and action, I can’t imagine how that would be if I tied myself down. Every time I think about it I imagine marriage and having kids and living in a neighborhood with other like-minded families and it makes me feel constricted and I hate to think about it. I don’t want to stop being what I am.”

“What are you?”

Saffron went quiet, brushing some hair from her eye. Should she tell him? Hell, he’s been so considerate to listen to her complain. “I’m nothing.” She finally decided, “I rather like being nothing.”

Red didn’t agree with that, but he refrained from saying anything. “Maybe you need to…try something new.”

There was a bit of silence, and Saffron took a sip of her milkshake. She looked at the man’s collection of fries and back down at her milkshake. She reached out to steal one of them, opening her cup and dipping it into the milkshake so she could eat it. Red only stared at her, confused. “What’s that?”

“You haven’t had that?” She took another one to dip it. “Try it.”

Red looked at her funny, taking a fry and proceeding to dip it into the milkshake, hesitating before eating it. He could instantly hear Purple’s squeals of praise whenever he had something delicious and he grinned widely. “You’re right, that’s pretty good!” He repeated the action with another, actually enjoying this. It was amazing how delicious the food on this planet was.

Saffron took enjoyment in the childlike glee in Crimson’s eyes, it was fun to watch. Eventually her milkshake was stolen away but she didn’t mind it so much. He was so much more laid back than Zim was… easier to talk to as well.

“So do you have a job yet?” She asked then, curious. She wondered about what he may be good at.

The Irken thought about it, technically he didn’t, though did it seem suspicious that he didn’t have one? He considered his options. If he did, what kind of jobs existed on this planet? He didn’t know what humans were assigned to do. “…technically, no.”

Saffron would love it if he knew his way around a gun, it would be nice just to see what he could do. Wasn’t Domino looking for a financial team to put under the twins? They were getting more money lately and they needed some added help to launder all of it. “Do you know how to use a weapon?”

She asked it in a whisper, but Red could fully hear her. He smiled, this was a good chance. “What kind of weapon? There’s so many kinds out there.” He was so nonchalant about it, “I’m pretty sure I know how to use one, I was in the military.”

Saffron’s blue eye sparkled, “Great. How do you feel about crime?”

Red thought about that question. As a Tallest he was for honoring the laws of the Empire, but were there any laws to honor if that same Empire was lost? There weren’t any laws for him to follow anymore, and he didn’t feel like playing the part of a lawful citizen, especially when his sole purpose was to kill someone else. “I’m okay with it.” He said finally, hoping that this was going where he thought it was going.

Saffron couldn’t get any more excited. This was perfect, she had run into him by chance and already she was getting lucky. There was something about him that seemed different from everyone else and maybe that was it, but to find out anything else she would have to put him to the test like Zim had went through…though the difference between Crimson and Zim were eons apart. The added benefits to this would be how she could use Crimson for her own personal amusement when it came to Zim, because right now she felt like being petty. The fun part was that Zim couldn’t kill him, unless he wanted to risk her shooting him in the head.

Was she mostly doing this just to get under Zim’s skin? Yes.

But Crimson was worth giving a shot despite all of that.

She’d make him realize that he can’t control her.

Meanwhile Red smiled, getting close to Saffron was easier than he thought it’d be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Incubi are referenced from the Berzerk universe, little tiny tentacle demons that induce nightmares.

Dib didn’t know how long he had been asleep but when he woke up he could hear sounds. He let out a groan, turning in the bed he was in and clutching the pillow. He didn’t remember that he had fallen asleep in Avery’s bed until he smelled that familiar cigarette and ash scent. Once his brain made this distinction he jolted upright, the blankets falling from his chest as he looked around frantically. “Wuh huh?”

Someone was in the apartment with him, and Dib had a feeling he knew who it was. It was the faint sound of a shower running, and Dib’s mind began to race. Avery was here? How long was Avery here? Did he know Dib was in his bed? Did he see Dib? Why wasn’t Dib waking up in a hospital? When he checked himself everything seemed to be alright, he wasn’t hurt in any way, and he frowned.

Why was he still in one piece?

Dib’s eyes went from his arms to the actual room, mainly the floor. The clothes that were once laying around were picked up and placed into a basket, the trash had been emptied. He slowly got out of the bed and made his way out of the bedroom, seeing the same treatment to the living room and the kitchen, trash was taken out and messes were cleaned, the books had been stacked on the shelves, there were no longer filled ash trays. Dib wondered how long Avery had been here for…how long had Dib been asleep?

The night sky gave him a clue, as it was noon when he left.

He heard the shower finally stop, the sound of dripping water evident. A door opened and Dib went to sit on the couch, rubbing his arms anxiously. How was Avery going to berate him for breaking into his room? Was he going to be burned with a cigarette or was Avery going to shoot him? He expected to be shot, knowing Avery’s temper.

But if Avery found him a long time ago, then Dib should have been dead by now.

Curious.

He waited, and the wait itself was horrible. He felt anxious and worried, almost afraid. Avery was a demon, so he must have had some kind of power. Though, he didn’t know what that may have been.

“Finally awake.”

Dib turned his head to see him, the man carrying in the basket of clothes, now topped with a wet towel. He was wearing slacks and a black turtleneck, and his hair was still in need of a brushing. “H-how long have you been here?” Dib asked.

Avery checked the time on the stove, “Enough time to clean my apartment and take a shower.”

Vague as always. Dib sighed, “You’re probably wondering why I’m—“

“Yes.”

Dib winced, looking down at the floor. “I was so annoyed with babysitting you I began to wonder if your apartment was as horrible as your working habits…so…I investigated.”

He didn’t know whether it was a lie or the truth, but knowing Dib it sounded stupid enough to be the truth. Avery rolled his eyes and set the basket next to the door. “Breaking and entering for the sake of curiosity.” He replied blandly.

“I wasn’t expecting to pass out.” Dib admitted, the feeling of awkwardness increasing with each second. “Honestly I thought—“

“I’m capable enough to take care of myself, Membrane. I have never needed a babysitter and I loathe to have one now.”

The awkwardness slowly became annoyance. “You were doing nothing but work in my living room for three days. You never ate unless I put food in front of your face!”

“I won’t die if I don’t eat for three days.” Avery bit back.

“You will if you don’t drink anything and I’ve had to constantly make sure you didn’t die on me!” Dib shouted.

“I’m not as inept as you claim me to be!” Avery’s voice raised as loud as Dib’s, the two of them getting unnerved by each other’s presence.

Dib had to force himself to calm down, “Can you just admit that you have a problem?”

“My problem is you.”

“No, you’re _my_ problem.”

The two of them went silent, glaring at each other.

Avery then became confused. Did Dib say that he was _his_ problem? “Why did you say that?”

Dib was busying himself by staring out the window, trying to avoid looking at Avery, though he could still see the man’s reflection. “Try as you like to avoid it, we’ve been working together for a year. I live underneath you. I know what’s going on in that apartment without even having to be there. You get angry easily, you know that? You seem to never sleep, and when I try to sleep you decide to start screaming at something, who knows what you’re screaming at but I’ve had to wear earplugs to get through the night. So forgive me if I feel like I have to keep you alive because I worry about you.”

Whatever vitriol Avery wanted to spit had drained away and confusion filled his features. No one has ever worried about him in his life. He didn’t know how he felt about that, opening his mouth but shutting it and turning away. He was conflicted, he wanted to yell at Dib but for what exactly? For worrying about him? That he wasn’t worth being worried about? The argument sounded weak in his head, and after a moment he became dreadfully tired, as if the past three days finally caught up with him.

He dropped right then and there.

* * *

Dream demons don’t dream, they experience other people’s dreams, not their own. Otherwise, it’s nothing but blackness. That’s all he could do, sit in that blackness and wait. He hated his human body, it was so weak. It needed things like food and water and rest. He could go for days and days on end, but eventually his body would shut down if it was too tired, or he would get sick if he didn’t care for himself. Demons didn’t get sick. Demons didn’t need food. Demons didn’t sleep. Avery got all of that, because he wasn’t fully demon.

But neither was he fully human.

_“You’re an unnatural thing.”_

_“It’s best if you don’t tell anyone what you are.”_

He could hear His words clearly, those condescending words coming from a man who was worse than he was. This was one of the main reasons why he didn’t sleep, why he couldn’t sleep. Sleeping meant remembering those words. Words meant to weaken him.

_“So forgive me if I feel like I have to keep you alive because I worry about you.”_

Suddenly he could see a white light amongst the blackness, and Avery couldn’t tell what it was. A random human… someone who knew what he really was, someone who didn’t shy away in disgust or anything of the sort. Someone who had tried to learn more about him, about what he was, just out of honest interest.

_“I’m a paranormal investigator.”_

Someone who was used to unnatural things.

Why did he try to kill him again? Oh, because he was afraid of being discovered, of the secret leaking out. His secret, his sister’s secret… everything crumbling down around them. Though, He was gone, he wouldn’t be able to find them. All traces were dissolved into nothingness.

“Avery.”

That same voice, the voice that provided the light that was bathing against his blackness, calling his name. Avery looked towards the light, unable to stare at it long enough without tearing up.

“Avery!”

The blackness was fading fast, but with that so was everything else, the white light turning into multiple colors, mainly the color blue. His green eyes opened, and Avery realized that he wasn’ton the floor, but on the couch. Dib was knelt over him, sighing in relief at the sight of the other man waking up. “Don’t scare me like that.” He said tiredly.

Avery’s eyes went back forward, staring at the gray of his ceiling. “My body shut down.”

“No shit.” Dib bit out sarcastically. “I told you this was going to happen.”

Avery didn’t feel any anger rising from the other’s response, just a stagnant calm. “It happens more often than you think.”

Dib blinked, getting back up and going to the kitchen. “You drop from exhaustion often?”

“Mn.” Avery wiggled his fingers and extended an arm, testing his body. When he figured he was okay he began to sit up. “All of those assumptions you made, they’re pretty accurate.”

Dib filled a glass with water and took it back to him, thrusting it into his face. “Drink.”

Avery frowned, hesitantly taking the glass and taking a sip, until Dib gave him one of those _looks_. The man eventually sighed and downed the entire glass. He looked back up at Dib, seeing how satisfied the other looked.

“So when you pass out, what usually happens?” Dib questioned then, moving to sit next to him.

“…I wake up in the same place I dropped, what do you expect?” There was some edge to Avery’s voice, but Dib ignored it, thinking.

The fact that Avery wasn’t arguing with him was throwing him for a loop, but he didn’t want to take guesses as to why. Calm Avery was a rare thing, and he wanted to keep that going. Though at the same time the curiosity about Avery himself was burning a hole in his stomach and he wanted to get closer to him. It was strange that he never felt this way before, not even with Zim. True, he wanted to find out everything about him, but he didn’t want to get _closer_ to him.

“I made my decision.” Dib really hoped that Avery wouldn’t blow a gasket. “Since it’s so obvious that you can’t take care of yourself properly then I’m becoming your roommate.”

Avery’s eye twitched, “What?”

“You heard me. I need to keep my eye on you 24/7 just so you won’t die.”

Here it was again, that worry. That unnatural worry that no one should be harboring for his own livelihood yet the human is trying to make sure Avery wouldn’t drop dead one day. He still couldn’t fathom this. Dib should be wanting nothing to do with him, trying to get away from him, but he’s doing the exact opposite…

Avery let out a long sigh, leaning against Dib. His body still felt weak and he was too tired to argue. The other man only went still, not knowing how to react to this.

“Okay you need to sleep in your bed. We can figure out arrangements tomorrow.”

The demon said nothing as Dib helped him to his feet and walked him to the bedroom.

* * *

Red looked awkward standing in the lobby of the Kasbah, as immediately the women who worked there zeroed in on him like sharks. Diamond was the first one to approach him, the busty blonde winking his way, “Welcome, you must be new~”

“He’s with me, Dia.” Saffron smiled her way, the entertainer blinking confusedly at the fact that _Saffron_ brought him in. After a moment of thinking the woman grinned.

“Does that mean Zim’s free?”

Red blinked. Zim was wanted by females. Just what alternate universe did he step into where Zim was tall, competent, and wanted by females? This wasn’t the Zim he knew… Though it explained how Zim could have easily done what he did to the Massive. He tried not to dwell on it.

Saffron led Red away towards the back room. “I already called ahead so Domino’s expecting to see you. He’s going to be the one assessing you.” She kept a hold on the other’s wrist, leading him straight through the hallway to the elevator. Red could feel eyes on him, from the two identical humans on his right to the red-eyed human on his left. He looked towards the red-eyed human, and Damien waved at him with a suggestive wink. Red quickly looked away, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

“What’s Mr. Red doing here?”

Red felt anxiety at the name, how did they know so soon…or was it due to his human disguise?

Saffron smiled widely at Damien, “He may be a new prospect. Crimson, this is Damien Duvatt, a very good friend of mine.”

Red studied the human, realizing that this was the one who was dancing with Saffron that night. He had a strange urge humming inside of him but ignored it, lifting up his hand and gesturing a hello.

Damien whistled appreciatively, “I want him under me.” He paused for a moment to rethink his words, “My department, I mean.”

The woman snorted in amusement, “Yeah, sure, your department.” She led Red forward, “If you’re good.”

The exchange was curious. Did that human want him? How strange. Red kept himself quiet as the two of them settled into the elevator, the Irken giving Saffron wayward glances every now and then. He wondered what Domino was like, if this human was really as feared and powerful as Gabriel said he was.

When the elevator finally stopped Saffron lead him out and across the hallway, to the room with the double doors. She knocked once before entering, and Red followed her.

The two of them seemed to have interrupted something, as Zim was already on the couch with his head in his hands and Domino was serving him a drink. At the sight of Red, Domino straightened up and looked the man over. Red stared at Domino in return, noting their equal height.

Something familiar quelled in his gut.

Domino regarded Red quietly, noting their equal height and finding it curious, but he said nothing more about it, turning his attention to Saffron. “Is this the one?”

Zim peeked out from behind his hands before hissing, jumping to his feet and pointing at Red, “YOU!”

Saffron ignored the outburst, “Yes, he’s the one. His name is Crim.”

“Crim.” Domino repeated, nodding to himself. “You’ve already searched him, yes?”

“He’s clean.” She smiled, “He says he knows his way around weapons, I was thinking adding him to the financial department.”

The gold-eyed man thought about it, “I actually would love to put him under Damien—“

Saffron snorted in amusement, “So does Damien,” She laughed.

The man was quick to know what she meant by that, chuckling softly, “I see, Crim already has an admirer.”

“If he’s liked by another then allow them to be together and STAY AWAY FROM SAFFRON.” Zim glared at him, “You have no right—“

Saffron tilted her head, “I’m sorry do you hear that?” She looked over at Domino, smiling. “It sounds like someone wants to dictate who I can or cannot speak to.” She reached for Red’s hand and took it, “I quite like this one though, he’s so much more tolerable than a screeching mouth piece.”

Red looked back at Saffron and she mouthed the words ‘play along’, winking at him. An unrecognizable emotion erupted inside of him and the Irken decided to take it further, snaking his arm around Saffron’s shoulders and leaning slightly to kiss her forehead.

That just made Zim screech, and Domino winced, looking from Zim to Red, back to Zim. He began to understand what Zim was angry about. “You seem to be friendly with him already, Sapphire.”

Saffron only smiled widely, “We’ve hit it off so well, maybe instead of putting him under Damien you can put him under me.”

Domino quirked a brow in question, looking at Red again. Something about the man didn’t sit right with him. He had the strangest feeling that they’ve met once before. “Under you.”

Red saw a chance and took it, glancing over at Zim, “I’d rather Saffron be under me.”

Zim’s screeching was cut off quickly and the man took out his gun, training it on Red, “I HAVE A RIGHT MIND TO SHOOT YOU!”

“ZIM.” Saffron’s voice became strong enough to shake the foundation, the woman turning to him with a dangerous glare, “Kill him and I won’t hesitate to shoot you in the head.”

That seemed to be a good enough threat, and Zim put his gun away, scowling at them afterwards and storming out of the room, slamming the door in his wake.

Domino sighed, sitting on the edge of his desk. There was a moment of silence between them as Domino continued to stare at the two of them, before focusing on Saffron. “You’re doing that on purpose are you?”

She knew he would see right through it, but her smile never wavered. “Maybe.”

Domino’s eyes went to Red, “You’re okay with following along with this act?”

The Irken shrugged, “It’s amusing.”

Especially when Zim couldn’t do anything about his intended kismet showing her affection to someone else entirely. No, the best part about it was that she was giving her affection to _him_ , it made him want to take it even further. How far could he take it until he fully destroyed Zim, because if he had to, he would do what Zim couldn’t, which would be to have her accept his claim. Zim would just be so devastated then, wouldn’t he?

In Irken culture if two males sought after one female then they would battle for her affection until she chose who was the better of the two, and the remaining male would be forever shamed that he wasn’t good enough. If he was able to push Zim over the edge then taking him out would be a mercy killing, and Red would be left with a reminder of his victory. For a humanoid, she wasn’t that bad looking, but he had to remember, the human who hired him said she was demonic.

He idly wondered how that would work out in a breeding experiment, but pushed that thought away. Not now.

“As much as I enjoy you having fun, do I have to remind you not to take anything too far?” He felt like a parent to a bunch of overgrown children sometimes, and he hadn’t planned on becoming a father. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because you enjoy being petty.”

Saffron rolled her eye, “Yes _dad_.”

He knew that his words were going on deaf ears, Domino felt like he was getting a glimpse of how it’d be to be in a relationship with Saffron. If she wouldn’t accept Zim’s offer then how would it have been for himself? Well…he was less jealous than Zim was, and he understood how she worked. It probably would have gone differently if it were him, not like he wanted to test it. “Put Crim under Damien for now, I want to test out his firepower. Give him a month and then we’ll see how it goes.”

Red relaxed slightly, regarding Domino with silent appraisal. This man was the most powerful human in the city, almost on the planet. It would be so easy to just…kill him now, but he had a feeling under that cool exterior that he knew how to protect himself. No, he had to go by Gabriel’s orders and lay low. Besides, no human could stand against a pure-blooded Irken, no matter how powerful they were.

Saffron looked purely amused by Domino’s statement. “Damien’s going to love you even more.”

“I should be slightly jealous.” Domino mused lightly.

“I doubt no-one will ever replace you in his heart.” Saffron grinned, turning to Red, “Go back downstairs, I have to discuss something with Domino.”

Red nodded, moving his hand up to ruffle her hair and throwing her a smile before making his way to the door. The smile he had gotten in return was a nice sight, the Irken making his way to the elevator and pressing the button. He felt good, this was perfect. He had already gotten himself through the door and now he had ample opportunity to do his job. He should return to the club to alert Gabriel of the news.

When he got out of the elevator, however, he could see Zim waiting at the other end of the hallway, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, as if he was waiting for someone. Saffron, possibly. At the sight of Red, however, he grit his teeth and his claws turned into fists, the Irken storming over towards Red with rage in his human passing violet eyes. Red only put his hands in his pockets, watching Zim storm over to him and stepping away, only for the Irken to grasp Red by his shirt and shove him against the wall.

“I’m only going to tell you once. Stay away from my Saffron.” Zim growled low in his throat, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Red felt amused, smiling slightly, “Why should I stay away from her when she’s very receptive towards me?”

Zim pushed him hard, “SHE’S MY—“ He realized he was screaming, glancing around and stopping himself, “She’s my _girlfriend_ , you arrogant piece of shit.”

“Doesn’t seem like it to me.” Red quipped, “Perhaps she’s bored with you, from what I’ve seen you come off as…controlling.”

That’s it, Red, spread the poison.

Zim winced slightly but his glare never let up, “She’s only playing with you to get on my nerves, you don’t mean anything to her. You’re just a toy.”

Red grinned, “If that’s the case, I seem to be a toy that she’s well entertained with. Could it be that you’re jealous?”

Zim hissed at him, and Red chuckled.

“That’s what it is, isn’t it? You’re jealous.” He pulled his hand from his pocket and moved it to grip Zim’s hoodie, pulling the Irken in closer as his voice lowered, “You’re afraid of someone else claiming what you believe is rightfully yours, though, I would be too if my _girlfriend_ is turning her eyes towards someone else entirely. Perhaps if you’re not fit to please her, you should just step aside and allow someone else to do something that you cannot possibly do yourself.”

Zim’s eye continued to twitch, the words affecting him as much as Red assumed they would. He bared his teeth and pulled out his gun, pressing the barrel against his cheek. He could easily shoot him dead right now, he could easily pull the trigger.

Red didn’t move away, allowing the Irken to become desperate. Zim’s grip on the gun was starting to shake, the Irken becoming affected by his words so easily. Zim was still so predictable, Red thought. He knew the other wouldn’t pull the trigger, not if he wanted to deal with Saffron’s reaction. The fact that she threatened to kill him if he killed Red was probably prominent in his head, and he didn’t wish to crumble an already rocky bridge that was between them.

Zim tried his best not to let the other’s words affect him, growing frustrated and taking back his gun, pocketing it. He cast one last glower at Red before heading back down the hallway and into the main room.

Red only stood there and watched him retreat, grinning madly.

Yes, the possibility of breaking him down emotionally and mentally was the most entertaining thought he had right now. He’d definitely take Saffron away from Zim, if only to see the look of anguish on his face before Red dealt the killing blow.

It sounded like _fun_.


	4. Chapter 4

Since there was a guest bed in Dib’s penthouse apartment and none in Avery’s, the move was clear. Within a couple of days Avery had packed up what he wanted to move it into the apartment. It was nearly bare to begin with, mostly holding books that he had collected thought the years, but he had a feeling that his personal library would be overwhelming to keep alongside Dib’s library, in the end the upper apartment was turned into a conjoined library for the two of them, leaving them enough room for each other’s personal effects.

Avery liked to complain, and he liked to complain often. Used to doing his own thing, the man was forced to get used to someone else’s routine. He realized quickly that living with another person was more difficult than he assumed it would be, and while Dib had experience with having a roommate, Avery did not. Dib was Avery’s first roommate.

Dib didn’t like that Avery wouldn’t do anything but work, but Avery didn’t like that Dib didn’t work enough.

Their schedules somehow fit together, as while Avery was doing his job with the police, Dib was at school. Avery was the Syndicate’s best cleaner, the only person who had so much access to evidence and anything sensitive that could disappear whenever Domino requested it. No one thought it was the antisocial forensic scientist, as he gained such a good reputation in that department that fingers would never point to him.

Dib was just as good at his own information gathering, being a computer prodigy made it easy to get where he wanted to go and making sure to use every back-door possible. Avery wouldn’t admit it straight to his face, but Dib was just as good as him. He knew not to leave traces and how to think on his feet in case of an emergency, but most of all he knew how to keep a level head in all situations - something Avery had the most trouble with. His shattered computer was the biggest piece of evidence on how his temper was his biggest setback, but what Dib didn’t know was that this computer was one out of seventeen in his ten-year stint of working under Matthew and Domino.

This is where his tempter problem got him, under someone else’s care. Someone who apparently cared about him, which…he still didn’t understand. Avery had spent the majority of his life alone and isolated, being told that no one would ever accept him, as he was a demon, an unnatural thing that shouldn’t exist. He remembered the first moment he ran into Dib Membrane, and he honestly thought that they wouldn’t be associated with each other outside of the plan he and his sister had struck. His sole intent was to use Dib to get to Matthew, making sure Dib wouldn’t die in the process _because_ of Matthew. He thought after that Dib would return back to New York where he came from, not expecting for Domino to take an interest in the man.

Then Dib found out though Runa that they were demons, and that seemed to spark an interest in him, a strange sort of curiosity that Avery believed to be dangerous. The last thing Avery wanted was for someone to find out the truth of where they came from and use it against him, against _them_. The truth that they were used as pawns and experiments by an occult-obsessed madman, who did his best to shape them into something he wanted. The truth that when Runa would stop killing his test subjects he would lock her in a cage and force Avery to do it instead. The truth that he became so enraged that he…

Anyone else who attempted to find out the truth behind the massacre was killed immediately. Avery tracked them down accordingly and dealt away with them. While Runa refused to murder people anymore Avery had no qualms in doing so, making sure to be rid of everything that was related to the laboratory explosion and what happened before that. He was the secret keeper, it was his job to make sure he and his sister had a relatively normal life.

So why was he treating Dib differently?

Perhaps it was because he and Dib had been in contact for at least a year after their initial meeting, and from that he grew to know him a little. Though, based on his job he had done an extensive background search on Dib. His father, his sister, Professor Membrane’s profession was a cause of concern, but he also learned that Dib wasn’t interested in it. Though, Dib’s passion to be a paranormal investigator made him stand out, but he wasn’t as occult obsessed as He was.

Maybe it was because killing him would ultimately get back to Domino, as Domino knew his secret. But then, Avery knew Domino’s secret as well. It was a fair exchange the two of them had when Domino befriended Runa, a secret for a secret. If Dib mysteriously died in his sleep then Domino would know who had killed him, and it would lead to a _discussion_ neither one of them wanted to have.

Dib confused him. He was someone that left Avery with questions. Why did he want to know what they were? Why did he go through so much trouble to research about him? Avery found that classified Swollen Eyeball file, and he made sure to take care of that leak of information. Dib had the file in his possession, that meant that he knew a little, not much, but a little. Normally something like that would have sent Avery into a frenzy, but he found himself perfectly calm.

This human, this one human who had come here from across the country was investing so much into Avery, enough to be worried for his health. He was the first, and would probably be the last. Wouldn’t that make Dib…special?

Avery would have to keep telling himself that, that Dib was special. Special enough not to be killed, special enough not to be threatened. Special enough for Avery to let his guard down when they were around each other.

For once in his life, Avery was putting his paranoia aside and letting someone into his life that had no reason being there, and for some reason he didn’t see anything wrong with it.

Even if history shown that he should.

“You’re spacing out again.”

Avery flinched, looking away from the computer screen and over to the topic at hand. He didn’t even realize that Dib had come home. “What?”

“You’re sitting at the computer but you haven’t been typing for ten minutes.”

He looked back at the computer screen, seeing that the screensaver was on. “Oh…thinking.” He mumbled to himself, wiggling the mouse to get back to his email.

Dib moved to grasp the back of the seat, peering in on Avery’s work. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

It had been at least a week since the two of them began living there, and Dib, as perceptive as ever, began to notice little things that Avery wouldn’t notice himself. For instance, Avery’s hands were shaking and he was on-edge, so Dib switched out Avery’s caffeinated coffee with decaf. In cases such as this, the lack of fingers-on-keys meant that Avery was thinking too much about something.

It was almost strange, that one single person would focus on another being so intently to notice insignificant things…

Though, that’s assuming they were insignificant to that one single person.

“It’s nothing.” Avery said eventually, picking up where he left off.

Dib had a feeling it wasn’t nothing, but he didn’t say anything. He seemed to be getting closer to Avery like he wanted to. The man was less hostile towards him and wasn’t as angry, and when you got rid of all that anger and hostility Dib was met with someone completely different. A quiet and reserved person that had a lot of secrets. Dib had a feeling Avery didn’t sleep for a good reason, and while the man tried to keep himself from doing so as much as possible, Dib was growing increasingly concerned over it. Dib felt like he was the only one who has ever come this far to seeing Avery’s true nature, and it only fueled his curiosity to see more of it. He didn’t know why he wanted to be so invested in the other’s life, this all began with his common curiosity as to what Avery was. Somewhere along the line this curiosity became concern and now he found himself to be in a friend role. Did Avery even have friends? Knowing him, Avery probably never allowed that to happen, but here Dib was, having become Avery’s first ever friend. It was a strange feeling, being this close to someone who used to be so untouchable.

He remembered when they first met, how Avery loathed the sight of him. The difference now was light night and day, and all he had to do was express his concern. Though, this would have never happened if Avery didn’t have an emotional fit and destroyed his computer (that Dib was still repairing). Before that they hardly spoke a word to each other, but Avery was still not as hostile as he was initially.

He was somewhat happy that he had made it this far, it was a kind of happy that he didn’t feel before, it felt like a special kind of happy.

He only hoped that this friendship would continue to deepen and perhaps someday Avery would finally tell him who and what he was.

When the sound of typing was the only thing that could be heard Dib let out a sigh. Avery didn’t notice that he came home early, did he? But then Avery possibly didn’t know that he was now on Winter holiday. He went to the counter, spotting the half-full coffee pot that was still on. Even if it wasn’t caffeinated, he still drank it… though he still refused to sleep. This past week Dib had begun to catch up on his sleep, mostly because the first time he passed out in Avery’s bed he didn’t have that recurring nightmare that he was having before. It was nearly a blessing, because he was in fear for his life. The nightmare seemed horribly real, as well as whatever creature that tried to attack him. He planned to make up for the lost sleep during the holiday.

His eyes wandered, and he noticed something under one of the jars, an envelope. Dib reached for it and retrieved it, recognizing the handwriting. He opened the envelope and took out the invitation, grinning widely at the invite itself. He was waiting for this! “Domino’s Christmas party!”

Avery seemed to have caught the words, and the typing stopped. “Ah, forgot about that. Zim came by a week ago with them.”

Dib looked his way, “Them, so you got one too?” He looked for Avery’s, soon recognizing the same envelope in the nearby trash. “You’re not going?”

“I don’t need to be there.” Avery’s voice was fairly calm and Dib found that he liked it, but when he thought about it he remembered that Avery didn’t attend last year’s party either.

“I’m sure you’ll have fun.” Dib insisted.

Avery turned fully in the swivel chair to meet Dib’s eyes, “Do I look like the type of person who has _fun_?”

Dib rolled his eyes, “It won’t kill you to be a little bit more sociable.”

Avery began to glare at him, “You won’t let up on this until I go will you?”

Dib set down his invitation and went over to him, “It’s not like spending one night with your colleagues will be bad for you. You can enjoy some drinks—“

“I don’t drink.”

“Party games?”

“I don’t play games.”

Dib was starting to get frustrated. “What do you do for fun, then?”

“Read in the privacy in my own apartment.” He folded his arms, leaning against the chair. “If you want to go, then by all means, have fun, but being at a social gathering isn’t something that I want to go through.”

How antisocial can you be, Avery? Dib tried to think about his options, how to convince him. He probably would like it if he gave it a try, it was unnatural to never leave the apartment outside of work. Dib had a feeling it would do him some good, if he got out of his comfort zone and tried new things. Soon, a smile reached his lips, having come up with a thought. “Well, I plan to have some drinks, but if I do that it means I won’t be able to drive back home. I would love to have a designated driver.”

They both knew that Domino threw the wildest parties. It may have been Dib’s second time attending one, but he knew something crazy was going to happen, as it did last year when Damien sat Domino down and gave him a lap dance in front of everyone that was there, while Braiden and Gillian tricked the more drunken patrons to play poker with them and made it out with nearly five thousand in earnings.

Avery seemed to take that thought in mind, and he found that he hated the thought. He wasn’t really planning on doing anything that night, was he? He could always sacrifice a few hours to watch over Dib and take him home. Nothing bad would happen because of it, right? Just as long as he didn’t drink any of the alcohol.

“Alright.” Avery said suddenly, snapping Dib out of his thoughts. “I will go—only for the sole purpose of being your designated driver. I refuse to partake in any of the fucking stupid _shenanigans_ that are due to happen whist this party is happening. You enjoy yourself and I’ll watch from a safe distance, but don’t expect me to be social with _anyone_.”

Dib felt good that the other man was actually going to go with him. This was going to be good for Avery, a little fun and company never hurt anyone.

Maybe he would learn how to loosen up.

* * *

There was a constant between Saffron and Zim, and it happened more often than you think. Every time they would get into an argument, it would be solved later that night with sex. Zim would do something to get under Saffron’s nerves, and Saffron would be petty and do something to piss him off in return, but when they were both at her apartment Zim would always get his way with a show of dominance and a perfectly timed feral-sounding growl, and everything would be right again the next morning.

Though, not even any of those had any effect on Saffron as of late, and eventually she had barred him from her apartment completely. Zim was forced to room at the club, not having anywhere else to go. It wasn’t a good place to stay, when the entertainers also lived there, and a few had their eyes on Zim as it was, but as long as Saffron was angry at him he had little choice in the matter.

He didn’t understand it, she used to enjoy his show of possessiveness. Early on in the relationship she got a kick out of it, she thought it was hot. Their romance was passionate and thrilling, but slowly the passion and the romance began to dwindle and now it was being doused with water like flames. He had no idea what was wrong. He was only acting how a kismet would act. He was laying claim to his female!

But that was it, wasn’t it? Saffron didn’t think the same way he did, she didn’t accept him as her kismet. She didn’t want a lifemate, every time they would have a serious talk about it she would recoil and evade, he would be hurt, and the cycle would repeat itself. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, but according to her he was. Was it wrong of him to be so selfish and possessive? It seemed normal in his eyes, but he had to realize that he was dealing with a human…hybrid. Humans had a different thought process than Irkens. Humans didn’t believe in the same thing that Irkens had. Humans didn’t live as long as Irkens did…but she wasn’t Irken, she was a demon, and they lived longer than humans did.

He was dealing with a demon with a human mindset, was it that she was hesitant about being with one person for the rest of her life? He did his best to see it from her angle, because he found nothing wrong with picking one mate for life, though humans didn’t mate for life, that was rare. Humans were fickle, and Saffron was raised as a human, right?

It still didn’t make any sense to him.

Though, when he began thinking about how she was being receptive towards _Crimson_ , his blood boiled. Zim knew she was doing it on purpose, she was being petty and baiting Zim by being affectionate towards the red-haired male. She was treating Crimson the way Zim had wanted to be treated, and the human was enjoying himself. The fact that the male had tried to provoke Zim, calling him jealous.

He wasn’t jealous, she belonged to him!

But her attention was on someone else, and she looked to be enjoying it. The sight made him sickened. He wanted nothing more than to kill the human and present the male’s still-beating heart to her as a prize. That’s how it worked on Irk, the strongest male gets the female, and the losing male is shamed into his death.

He had to remember that this wasn’t Irk.

Even now, the sight of Crimson near his female made him want to take his anger out on everything and anything possible. The other male was making a display out of being receptive to her advances, he was doing his best to provoke Zim when he was looking. When the three of them were in the same room Saffron would act like Zim wasn’t there, which pissed him off. But, he couldn’t do anything about it. If this was Irk, then him killing Crimson would be a show of dominance and the female he was vying for would be impressed and accept him. No, he was on Earth, where killing Crimson would only bring him more hatred and ruin everything he had worked hard for.

All he could do now was stand by and be forced to endure this display for however long it took until Saffron deemed it time to easy up on Zim. Unless she was doing this in hopes of him doing something, did she want him to get between them and assert his dominance in another way? What could he do that didn’t involve gutting Crimson and stringing his entrails up with the tinsel that Damien was putting up along the walls. He took hold of an ornament, casting his eyes on the table across the room and watching Crimson and Saffron flirt with each other. A surge of anger rushed through him and his grip on the ornament became so tight that he smashed it. He winced, looking back down at the broken glass.

“If you’re going to keep breaking the ornaments I’m going to have to put you on drink duty.” Domino drawled, his gaze going from the broken one in Zim’s hand to the broken remnants of other ornaments in the box next to them.

Zim sighed, looking away from the two of them. “Just ignore it. Just ignore it.” He told himself.

“That’s all you can do, ignore it.” Domino said calmly, hanging up a candy cane on the tree, “She’ll get bored with him soon and return to you, she always has.”

While Domino was right, and it had happened before, Zim had a feeling that this time wasn’t like the others.

With that thought in mind Zim sighed, stepping away from the Christmas tree and heading over to the back room.

This party wasn’t going to be fun in the slightest.

* * *

It was midnight when Red made it back to the club, having spent three hours at the club flirting with Saffron and avoiding Damien’s advances. His plan seemed to be working pretty well, as Zim seemed to have disappeared into the back room during the last hour they had decorated, and not once did he even attempt to get in between them. He wondered if the Irken was beaten down and admitting defeat, but that didn’t sound like Zim in the slightest. No, the Irken was possibly planning something, so that meant Red would just have to occupy Saffron’s time just a little more.

Saffron was…interesting. For a human hybrid, she was interesting. She was lively and easy going, had a fiery temper and was more violent than Irken females he had already known. Had she been an Irken, she could have been an amazing part of the Irken Elite. In Red’s eyes, he realized just why Zim was so intent on making her his kismet. From the time he’s been on this planet, no other human female had come close. Irken culture was all about aggression and violence. The stronger and more aggressive the female, the more attractive they were to the males. He was starting to get those urges to battle Zim for her favor, but he couldn’t let himself do that.

For one thing, this wasn’t Irk. For another, she wasn’t Irken.

Everything worked differently on Earth, it was all about subtlety. Humans didn’t fight for their mates, they tricked and lured who they wanted away from who had them last and made sure to keep them through mind games and seduction until they’ve fallen so hard for you that they couldn’t find their way out. He rather enjoyed the change. Instead of being blunt and physical you had to think things over and plan out accordingly. It was more of a stealth mission that required finesse and intelligence. Zim had neither of those things, and because of that he would lose.

The thought of Zim’s hopes and dreams being torn from him put Red into a very good mood, the man making his way up to the office on the second floor. He ran into someone familiar, Liam. A lanky young human with a funny accent and sandy-blonde hair. The man’s brown eyes brightened at the sight of Red, “Ello Crim.”

Red tipped his head at the other, “Liam.”

“He’s in the office, just had a thrilling game of chess, you missed it.”

He had no idea what chess was. “Good night, Liam.” He passed the man without another word, the British lad not taking offense to any of it. Everyone knew that Crimson didn’t talk much.

Red passed the two bodyguards at the door, nodding silently to them as they opened it for him. He stepped in without a word, Gabriel already lounging at his desk, swirling a martini.

“How’s Domino treating you?” The man asked.

“Surprisingly upbeat for a crime lord. Though I’ve never seen him leave the club itself.”

“I wouldn’t think he would, pity.” The man took the olive out of the drink and took a drink. “How’s Runa?”

“Glad you mentioned her, as I’ve wanted to talk to you about that.” Red sat himself at the chair, looking very serious. “I want her.”

Gabriel paused in mid-sip, putting down his drink and staring at the man in front of him. Well, this was interesting. “So soon?”

“There’s something about her that I like, and I want her.”

“I see.” That request had altered his plans just a bit, as he wanted to do something else with her, though, giving her to someone else wasn’t a bad idea either, though Crimson didn’t know how the secrets he knew. “Are you sure you can handle her?” He quirked a brow in curiosity, “She’s not human.”

I’m not human either, Red thought amusedly. “If you know something that I don’t I would like you to put me in the loop. You said that you been following her for years.” Red leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Spill.”

Gabriel thought about it, wondering if he should let Crimson in on the tale. Though…it would give the other some perspective. “I knew her since I was a child.” Gabriel began.

_It was a cage made for a large dog, but instead of a dog, a small girl sat inside of it, crying. Her human-like blue eye was full of tears, while the demonic red eye was dripping something black. She couldn’t help herself, it was all she could do anymore. She wouldn’t do what He wanted, so she was locked in here._

_“Hey.”_

_The strange-looking girl looked up, catching the sight of a small boy with white-blonde hair. He looked like Him, only smaller and more innocent. The girl didn’t say anything, peeking at him through her fingers._

_The boy only stepped forward, dressed in only a dresshirt and shorts, stopping at the cage and placing his hands on the wired fencing. He looked wide-eyed and curious, staring mostly at her red eye and the black tears it was creating._

“I knew both of them when they were children.” Gabriel continued, sighing from the memory. “Their mother was raped by a demon that my father had summoned, a demon called an Incubus. It was a grotesque thing…looked like a tiny octopus with one eye… the woman became pregnant and the demon was killed and dissected, what came out of her nine months later were two young babies that presented as human, though their eyes told a different story. I wasn’t allowed near them, but I knew they existed…so I would sneak into the laboratory when I could to see them."

_The brunette boy was sitting alone in a dark room, the only thing visible were his two glowing red eyes. Surrounding him were beds filled with bodies, bodies that looked to be sleeping, but their hearts told another story. He stared at the floor, until he heard a tapping on the glass. His eyes looked up, at the large window that displayed a dimly lit hallway, seeing a boy with white-blonde hair standing on the other side. His hands were splayed on the window, staring at him in curiosity._

_The brunette slowly stood up and made his way over to the window, staying quiet. He stopped as he gotten close enough, moving his own hands on the glass, mirroring his touch. They stared at each other silently, the blonde giving the boy a small smile. The brunette didn’t know how to react, looking away from his face._

_When the boy looked back forward, the blonde one was gone._

“As I grew older, I saw them less and less, but I always remembered them.” Gabriel thought about Avery mostly, “The summers I would return from boarding school would be my chance to see them again, but as we grew, they began to change.” His thoughts went to Avery specifically, “…”

Red watched as Gabriel began to get lost in thought, “They’re called an Incubus.”

“Not like the ones you see in folklore, the handsome demons with wings and tails…they don’t look like that at all. They do have the same ability though. Dream Demons, they can enter a person’s dreams and manipulate them however they wish. When in contact with the victim they can also kill them through their dreams. Though, you’re safe around Runa, she doesn’t kill. She refuses to kill…it’s Avery that you need to be weary of.”

Saffron refused to kill? Red idly wondered how he could change that, because the idea of Zim being killed by his own lover sounded delicious enough in itself.

“Avery has no remorse, he has no heart. He also needs to atone for his sins. You can have Runa, but Avery is _mine_.” Gabriel said it in a rough voice, almost possessive in a way. Red was reminded of a territorial mate, and he became curious as to their relationship. He watched Gabriel silently, the man smiling after a while and returning to his drink. “If you want Runa, you’ll need to know her name.”

Red blinked, “Doesn’t she already have a name?”

Gabriel chuckled, “Not that one, I mean her _True Name_ , the name only a demon can have. The name only a demon will respond to.”

“Only then will you have total control over her.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut

The snow was coming down that night, Christmas Eve. Red discovered he could avoid the snow with an umbrella. He made it from the one end of the city to the other alone, catching a group of humans surrounding the club itself. Upon closer look he realized it were some entertainers, having gathered outside instead of inside, though he didn’t understand why anyone would be out here in the cold. The weather on Irk never gotten this chilled.

When he passed them by he could hear one of them whistle his way, the Irken glancing over to one of the bustier humans and catching her winking at him. He ignored it, like he always ignored the advances of the other humans. They didn’t interest him, not even Damien. His prize was already inside, possibly enjoying herself.

Crux greeted him at the door, although the greet was stopped when he heard some groaning.

“It’s not going to kill you.”

“You don’t know that.”

Red and Crux looked over to the curb, where a blue car had parked, coming out of it was Dib and Avery, the latter of the two looking less than enthused about coming here. This was the first time Red had ever set eyes onto Avery, seeing some likeness to Saffron in the man’s face. “Remember, I’m staying in the corner, alone.” Avery hissed at him.

Dib rolled his eyes, “I heard you the first time.” He stopped at the sight of Red and Crux, recognizing one of them. He stared at Red for some time, shrugging after a while and mumbling ‘he must be new here’.

Red finally looked away, closing his umbrella before going into the club. Dib was right behind him, Avery bringing up the rear.

The man regret ever agreeing to attend once he saw the inside.

The twins already had a poker game going in the center. Damien, Domino, Saffron, a few male entertainers and some others were enjoying themselves. It looked like Saffron was beating the piss out of everyone from how the other players were groaning and…wait.

They were playing _strip poker_.

“Cough it up boys.” Saffron grinned from ear to ear, “I came to see some skin.”

Damien, who was already in his pants, pouted, “But I didn’t wear boxers today.”

“I’ll pay you to put clothes on him.” Domino insisted, taking off his sash.

The only thing Saffron was missing was a glove, “I’ll take a sock.”

Avery looked over to where the bar was, spotting Zet mixing drinks for the other guests while Zim stood there, glaring at the poker table. Braiden and Gillian were laughing, already three-sheets to the wind and enjoying their chances.

Over by the tree, Monday was placing down gifts, one for everyone in the club while the rest were on a trolley, while the rest of the entertainers were in a corner gossiping, their eyes now on Avery once he walked in.

The man took one last look at Dib before heading for a chair in the corner next to the punch bowl. He stopped, staring at the bowl, “Is this spiked?”

Monday smiled brightly at him, “It’s the only non-alcoholic thing here, try it. I made it myself!”

The man took a glass and poured himself some, settling himself in a chair so he could just stare and judge everyone’s life choices.

Dib watched as Avery huddled himself into a private corner to be alone, letting out a disapproving sigh. “This was supposed to make him sociable.”

Red quirked a brow at Dib’s words, looking over at Avery again, his eyes going towards the punch.

_“…can’t have alcohol…”_

He put that thought aside, his eyes looking away from the bowl and over to the bar, where Zim was glaring at him with heat. He smiled wide at Zim and waved at him, pretending that Zim wasn’t just imagining himself bludgeoning the other.

Zim flipped him off immediately, and Red’s smile turned into a grin, the Irken deciding to go right to Saffron.

Saffron’s blue eye brightened at the sight of Red, “Crim, yes, get in on this.”

Red stopped to watch what everyone was doing, how Damien was nearly naked and Domino was shirtless, his chest exposing scars. “What’s this?”

“Strip poker.” Domino grinned, “Let’s see if you can beat the pants off of Sapphire, because we sure as hell can’t.”

Damien winked at Red, “I’d like to see Crimson with his pants off, actually.”

Red decided to sit on the opposite side of Saffron, away from Damien. The man pouted but said nothing more, taking the hand he was dealt with.

Red watched the game, unable to grasp the concept and not knowing who had the upper hand or not, but according to the fact that only Saffron had all of her clothes, she was winning.

He propped his elbow on the table, resting his head in his hand while watching everyone play. They deposited and switched out cards, looking for a certain hand and soon showing that hand, only to be bested when Saffron had a better hand. This time it was a woman that was taking off her shirt, displaying her lacy red bra to everyone at the table. Domino couldn’t take his eyes off the woman’s chest, and the woman giggled.

“I think you should pay attention to your cards.” Red told him.

“Don’t tell the man who writes your paychecks what to do.” Domino countered, “I’m only appraising the assets.”

“We could appraise them together in my room, Domie~” The woman giggled again.

_“Aw what’s the matter Domie, you don’t want to get caught?”_

Red paused, his eyes settling on Domino for a moment as a memory had flashed past him. He shook his head. No, Dom had vanished…he couldn’t be here.

Though the longer he thought about it, the more Domino’s mannerisms reflected the Irken he once knew.

Red looked away when Domino realized he was being stared at, the Irken assessing the man across from him quietly before throwing in a handful of chips. “I’m going to get your shirt someday, Sapphire.”

“Oh but honey, the only one getting my shirt will be Crimson.” Saffron smiled innocently, hearing Zim choke on the alcohol he was drinking and glaring harder at Red.

Red also smiled innocently, “I’d rather see what’s under the shirt, Saffron.”

“GAK!”

Saffron giggled when Zim continued to choke, “Not in public, love.”

Domino rolled his eyes, “Please, not in public.”

It was then that the group of entertainers from outside the club had started to gather inside, the chatter growing lively. Damien placed his cards flat on the table after that, sighing. “I’m out.”

“Same here.” Said the girl.

Saffron heard someone bring up some dance music, “Oh, I believe the party’s in full swing now.” She pulled all the chips she won near her, “I’d like to cash in my winnings, Mister Domino.”

The man laughed, standing up, “Come to my office later, Sapphire.”

Near the bar, Dib was enjoying a white wine spritzer, watching Zim glare at one single person. “Zim?”

Zim didn’t look his way, “Dib. I see you brought your house-pet.”

He figured that Zim was meaning Avery, and Dib rolled his eyes. “He’s not my house-pet, he’s my roommate. Why are you glaring at the man with the red hair?”

“He’s after my kismet.” Zim bit out, downing the whiskey in his glass before setting it down. “Zet.”

The woman clicked her tongue. “Careful with those, hun.”

Zim kept his hand on the glass, not saying anything else until she refilled it.

Dib nursed his own drink, watching how Crimson and Saffron were flirting with each other, “She seems to be accepting his advances, are you sure they’re not a couple?”

Zim cringed, “She’s doing this to teach me a lesson. About what, I do not know.”

It was hard to keep up the fact that Zim had grown out of his third-person tics, the Irken seeming to have changed drastically from the last time they interacted until now. Zim was like a new person. “It’s normal human behavior.” Dib said then, “She’s trying to make you jealous on purpose.”

Zim’s eye twitched, “What kind of reasoning would be behind that?”

Dib sighed, glancing over at Avery and catching the man watching the two of them. “In relationships, some humans like to provoke their mates as a way of a fetish, or possibly because they want to see some type of reaction out of the mate. It’s a strange way of thinking, I don’t really quite get it myself, but if she’s fawning all over someone else maybe she’s expecting you to do something about it.”

Zim only soured at the explanation, “You need to open those eyes on that big head of yours and look at me. Do you think I haven’t tried? Your theory is trash, Dib-stink. Saffron isn’t human either, or do you remember that?”

“I remember, but just because they’re demons doesn’t mean they weren’t raised to be humans.” Dib took another look at Avery, who was now brooding. He didn’t understand the sudden shift in mood. He thought nothing of it, looking back at Zim. ”So you really love her, huh?”

Zim sighed, ”Yes. It's nearly painful when she doesn't even reciprocate those feelings.”

Dib thought about it, ”Have you ever thought of just telling her how you feel?” When Zim looked at him Dib began to gesture, ”Not in the way you've been doing things, because clearly you've been doing it wrong. I mean be emotionally honest with her, expose your vulnerable side. Be humble.”

Zim pursed his lips together, thinking about what Dib said. Humble. Vulnerability. He could do that. Without saying anything Zim set down his drink, making his way to Saffron and Crimson.

Red watched as Zim made his way over to them, smirking slightly, “Oh, here he comes.”

Saffron looked Zim’s way, the two of them watching the Irken approach them. “Saffron can I talk to you?”

The woman thought about it, though before she could answer Zim clasped his hands together and lowered his voice, “Please.” It made her mouth shut after it had opened, because never in her life did she hear Zim say please.

She looked from Zim to Red, slowly standing up, “I’ll be back.” She said then, and Zim lead her away to the back room. Red only folded his arms, letting out a growl. He didn’t like this, and he wondered what that human told him.

_“…alcohol makes them lose…”_

Red’s anger dissipated as the words came back into his head. No, he had a plan.

Saffron followed Zim to the hallway, only stopping once they went into the weapons room. “What is it?”

Zim took a steady breath, “I would like to make a formal request that you’ll stop putting me through pain.”

Saffron blinked, “Putting you through pain?”

He hated having to show any sort of weakness, but here he was, desperate. “All of this, whatever you’re doing. Do you realize how much it hurts me? I don’t have a heart but I feel like it would be crushed, but even so I feel sick all the same.”

When Saffron didn’t answer Zim continued, turning away so he could pace the room. “When I said I wanted to make you my kismet I’ve wanted to do it out of sincere emotions, you have to realize that Zim has never met anyone like you. Everything about you is amazing to Zim.” He knew he was lapsing into his old habits but he didn’t care. “Zim doesn’t know why you won’t accept my claim but please realize that Irkens choosing a kismet isn’t a lighthearted decision. Zim wants to spend the rest of my life with you, do you know how long that is? You’re perfect—“

Saffron could hear his voice cracking, and she could feel guilt creeping up her spine. She didn’t like this feeling at all. This part of Zim wasn’t someone she’d met before, he was actually exposing a side of himself he’d never show to anyone—and he chosen to show it to _her_. She didn’t know how to feel about it. “Forever is a long time.” She said then, feeling pained. “Forever choosing someone, one single person, to live out their lives with…do you understand how defining that is? I…” If he was being honest she felt like she had to be honest as well, “I’m afraid.”

Zim turned to her, “Afraid?”

She moved to hold her arm, “Yeah, afraid. Forever is long, and our forever is longer than a normal human’s forever. All I can think of is if you’ll even love me for that long, or what will happen ten years down the road. Things change, people change. Everything changes, what’s to say that we won’t? Then I think of…if I accept this, then it would mean something like marriage, wouldn’t it? We’d end up making a family, settling down…that’s assuming we’re having children or if we’re compatible—and then—“

“Hold on, hold on.” Zim went over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders, “Is this why you won’t accept it? You’re thinking too hard about it. Zim never said anything about children or settling down. I rather like doing what I’m doing right now. And we don’t know what happens in the future, the one thing that will remain a constant will be Zim’s feelings for you. No matter what happens, I want you by my side.”

Saffron felt tears wanting to fall, but she kept them back by her own will. “I…no one…has ever expressed interest in me like you have…” She whispered, “I was always a side-thought…to be used and thrown away. You coming along and being attracted to me and wanting to stay with me, this is entirely foreign to me. I don’t know…”

“You don’t have to know.” Zim smiled slightly, “Zim feels like a smeet when it comes to this. It’s entirely new to me too. You’ve been driving Zim crazy!”

“You can stop with the third-person now.” Saffron laughed lightly, brushing away a tear that managed to escape.

Zim cleared his throat, looking away. “Sorry…I’m just…it’s a habit I’ve been working on.” He moved his hands, rubbing her upper arms comfortingly, “Now that everything’s out, can I ask you again?”

There was something different about this now, and Saffron could feel it. She felt warmer, “Kismet…you do know that’s a human word too, right?”

Zim blinked, “Eh?”

She smiled, placing her hand on his cheek. “It means destiny or fate.”

A smile formed on Zim’s face. “That’s what a kismet is, a destined lifemate.” He leaned forward then, kissing her softly. Saffron smiled and hooked her arms around his neck, accepting the kiss.

Back in the main club area Avery was returning to his chair after finding the bathroom, just in time to catch Crimson stirring the punch. He had to admit, it was an adequate punch, and he retrieved his glass, waiting until Crimson poured his own glass and left so he could pour himself some. He then returned to his seat, finding Dib still lingering at the bar and frowning. He assumed that Dib was going to mingle with everyone else, or at least join on their stupid games. All he did was have an intimate conversation with Zim. Something about that hit Avery the wrong way, but he tried to ignore it, taking a sip of the punch as Dib had started to make his way to him.

“For someone who wanted to attend the party you’re being more of a wallflower.” Avery commented blandly, and Dib rolled his eyes, sitting next to him.

“It’s the only time that I can meet up with Zim.” Dib said defensively, which seemed to hit Avery wrong, again.

“Oh, so you only wish to get comfortable with _that one_.” Avery felt irritated, wondering why it made him angry. “If you plan on bringing him back with us then you’re going to the library, I refuse to play house to another—“

“Hey hold the fuck on, Zim and I aren’t like that,” Dib whispered instead of raising his voice like how Avery was, “We’re _friends_.”

The man still felt agitated, knocking back the entire glass of punch. “Friends, I’ll believe—“ He stopped short before he could continue, a familiar yet unwanted emotion coursing through him. He began to panic, his body was starting to feel warm. His eyes went to the punch, looking for Red, not finding him anywhere. “Th—that fucking—“ Avery got to his feet, heading straight for the hallway.

“Avery?” Dib put his drink down and followed him, wondering what was happening. “Avery!”

“Don’t follow me!” Avery’s voice was harried and shaky, the man making his way to the elevator as fast as possible. His body continued to increase in temperature, urges that he had despised were bubbling up from inside of him. He practically slammed himself into the elevator, but before he could close the door Dib forced the door back open to join him.

“Avery what the hell are you—“

“This is not the time!” Avery cried out, grasping his hair and trying to will the urges away. It wasn't working, and Dib’s presence was making it worse. Being so close to him only increased his urges. When Dib grasped Avery’s wrist the man whimpered. The sound caught Dib off-guard, never having heard Avery do that before. Though, once the door opened Avery forced himself out as fast as possible and made his way to the first door he could find. It was in Domino's room that Avery found privacy--until Dib followed him inside and shut the door. ”Will you tell me what’s going on--”

Avery shoved him against the door and kissed him, hard. The kiss in itself swept Dib away and as Avery pressed on Dib eventually reciprocated, the brunette moaning into the other’s mouth before he forced himself away. ”No--” Avery’s voice was shaky and he distanced himself away from Dib, sitting on the edge of Domino's bed. When Dib stepped closer he felt a force shoving him back. ”Stay away!” Avery cried.

”Avery!” Dib shouted, unable to see the tendrils that were curling around his limbs, fighting between the want to shove him back and the need to pull him forward. Avery felt hot, breathing raggedly as he shed himself from his jacket. ”Tell me what’s wrong!” Dib tried again, unable to move forward. Though, he felt himself being dragged after a moment, Avery was starting down at his shoes trying to focus on something other than the overwhelming lust that wanted to control him. He didn't notice when Dib had finally settled next to him, the man trying to understand what was going on.

”Alcohol.” Avery breathed.

Dib frowned, ”What?”

”The punch...was spiked...with alcohol.” He refused to look away from the floor, wanting nothing more than to attack his friend. ”It affects me...badly. Aphro...aphrodisiac. Trying not to--” Avery whimpered, and he rose his hands, grasping his hair and shutting his eyes.

Dib started to understand. This was why Avery never drank. He would lose his inhibitions and start to fuck whoever was near him. He watched as Avery strained himself against attacking Dib, though if he left the other alone he had a feeling Avery would be left in agony. Even now, he looked pained. It had to be hard for him...

Dib silently made a decision, ”I can help you.” He said then.

”I'm not having sex--”

”It doesn't have to be sex. It'll just take the edge off.” Dib turned to him, putting a hand on Avery’s shoulder. ”I don't want you to suffer.”

Avery finally looked away from the floor, meeting Dib’s eyes green for amber.

”Trust me.” Dib whispered.

The demon sighed, it’s come down to this, has it? Though...it was a choice between letting Dib help him, attacking him, or suffering for an unseen amount of time. Avery hated this, he hated having forced Dib into this situation. ”F...fine.” He breathed, letting go of his hair.

Dib nodded, reaching forward towards the tent in Avery’s pants. Just as he touched the fly Avery grasped his wrist. ”It’s okay.” Dib kept his voice calm, as If Avery was a scared animal. ”Just trust me.”

Avery let go of him, gripping the bedsheets instead. Dib swallowed, going for the belt and unbuckling it, going about unbuttoning them and unzipping the fly. From there he found Avery’s shaft, which nearly looked human, if it weren't for the black and bumpy surface. Dib took a breath and curled his hand around it, feeling Avery shudder under him.

”Membrane--”

”Trust me.” Dib whispered again, beginning to stroke him. Avery’s eyes fluttered shut as Dib slowly stroked the other’s cock, hearing Avery breathe shakily. He looked up at the other’s face, seeing nothing but pleasure. Dib absentmindedly licked his lips, continuing his minstrations. Minutes in Dib was starting to feel his own lust, only forcing himself to calm down so he could take care of Avery. The man under him was starting to breathe heavily, small whimpers escaping his lips. Dib couldn't help but find that attractive, unable to help himself. He leaned forward and with his free hand he brought the other’s head closer so they could kiss. Avery didn't fight the action, practically melting into it. Dib sighed and his own eyes slipped shut, his hand continuing its motion while the two of them made out. Avery moaned against the kiss and allowed Dib’s tongue to probe past his lips, able to taste the white wine spritzer that Dib had earlier. Dib felt something coil around his body, pulling him closer but he paid it no mind, caressing the other’s cheek as he nipped Avery’s lower lip and gently sucked on it. His other hand squeezed and twisted around Avery’s cock, making him whimper as his hips bucked up. Dib knew he was close now, pumping him faster, his thumb spreading the other’s precum. He wanted nothing more than to keep going, perhaps suck him off and possibly feel him in another way, but he couldn't do anything, not now. It wasn't long until Avery cried out into his mouth, the man finding his release in Dib’s hand. Avery felt most of the uncomfortable heat leave him with the release, but a pleasurable buzz took its place. The kiss wasn't broken, instead the two of them shifted until they were laying on the bed, Avery clinging to Dib’s shirt while Dib held onto him, knowing the correct way to kiss without losing their breath.

Avery felt content in the first time in his life, enjoying the kiss until exhaustion took over and he fell asleep. Dib only stopped when he didn't feel Avery responding anymore, opening his eyes to catch the sight. He looked so innocent when he was asleep.

Dib curled up next to him and sighed, hoping that there would be a second chance, and that Avery would allow him to do more in the near future.

Their relationship had just changed, and he didn't find anything wrong with it.

Downstairs however, Saffron was re-entering the main club, looking for Red. After the heartfelt discussion with Zim she had come to accept him as her kismet, though while she didn’t feel any sort of change, she needed to break it off with the other man. She found Red upstairs next to the entertainer’s personal rooms, the man leaning over the side and watching people dance down below. Saffron went to the stairs, making her way to the second floor and smiling at him. “Hey.”

Red looked over to her, “So what was that about?” He handed her the glass of punch, which she took.

“We had a talk…” She took a sip of the punch. “I’m sorry to tell you but I can’t do what I’ve been doing with you anymore.”

There was a moment of silence, “…you made up with him.” He could feel the jealousy boil within him, keeping a steady eye on the woman.

Saffron nodded, “I think it’s for good this time…” She put a hand on his arm, “No hard feelings, right?” She hoped he wasn’t invested emotionally in her, she made it clear in the beginning that she was only flirting with him to get back at Zim.

Red said nothing at first, watching as Saffron took a bigger drink of her punch. “Oh, this is better than I thought.” She said to herself, finishing it off. She sighed, her eyes roaming the club. It wasn’t long before the alcohol took effect, the woman dropping the glass as her body began to become warm. “Oh—“

The Irken grinned slightly, curling his fingers around her wrist, dipping down to whisper in her ear, “Let’s go somewhere…private.”

Saffron gasped, feeling Red’s free hand dip inside her shirt to feel her skin, leaving a red hot trail of sensation in his wake. She groaned inwardly and nodded, allowing him to lead her into the nearest room. The heat was only getting worse and she felt herself starting to ache, slamming Red against the door as soon as he shut it and kissing him fervently. Red purred against the kiss and pressed back, pushing her towards the bed.

Somewhere in Saffron’s mind a part of her was screaming to get Zim, but those thoughts were muddled by the lust blooming inside of her. Why get Zim when someone was just as willing right here? His touch burned her skin and she felt intoxicated, hooking her legs around his waist as soon as he pushed her down, bending over her so he could pin her to the bed.

“You’re eager.” He mused, keeping his voice low. “That’s perfect, because I am as well.” He grasped her hair in his hand, tugging her head back so he could attack her neck. Saffron whimpered and arched her hips, feeling him bite her flesh enough to cause pain.

“More—“ She begged, and Red didn’t take any time, biting her hard enough to draw blood, which tasted sweet in his mouth. He licked the wound, the blood wasn’t a common human color, but a dark red, nearly black. He found that he enjoyed the taste, saving that thought for later.

Saffron moaned as he ran his hands along her body, staring up at Red in a lust-filled haze. “I’m burning.” She whispered.

Red slowly smiled, moving to remove her pants. She couldn’t get undressed fast enough, pulling off her hoodie and the shirt underneath it and sitting up to work on Red’s clothes, slipping her hands under his shirt to feel his warm flesh. Red chuckled, pulling off his clothes as Saffron shifted to her knees, holding onto his hips as she licked along his flesh. “Eager.”

She wanted nothing more than to burn away, only getting hotter and hotter, her whimpers escaping her lips as she kissed up his chest. Red leaned down and captured her lips again, kissing her with enough passion to quell the heat only a little bit. He shoved her down, working on removing the rest of his clothes before stopping. This was the tricky part, because while his human disguise said one thing, underneath he was possessing something entirely different. He put up a finger, leaving her side to shut the lights off before finally stripping himself. From there he deactivated his disguise, striding back to the bed.

Saffron was aching too much to think more about why Red turned the lights out, letting out a shuddering sigh and dipping her fingers between her legs to feel how wet she was. Before she could even do anything about it she felt hands on her, one of them slapping her own hand away before he gripped her thighs, spreading her legs even further. There was a sharp intake of breath and she soon felt something lithe and long prodding at her entrance, the woman whimpering out a moan as she laid back without a fight.

Red wanted to taste her, if her blood was sweet then what about the rest of her? His tongue laved along her entrance, slipping in further as he listened to her voice her pleasure. Just the fact that _he_ was the one causing her to feel this way and not Zim was the better part. She already tasted good, but something about it made him want even more. He continued to eat her out, eliciting her moans and sighs, feeling her body convulse under his hands. More of that taste was starting to trickle out, and he wondered just how much she could give him.

The heat coiling inside of her was becoming too much, making it too hard to think. She only wanted to feel what he was doing, the mounting pleasure that was threatening to overwhelm every part of her. Saffron began to breathe quickly, the heat was threatening to burst. “Crimson—“ Her voice was shaky, uneven and light. Red could hear her, sucking on the woman’s clit to gauge her reaction. Her moans became louder and her hips bucked upward, “Crim—“ She couldn’t hold it in anymore, the heat boiling over as she came. She felt a rush of pleasure wash over her and the heat calmed down slightly, her breaths beginning to even out.

Red drank everything she had given him, feeling energized. He crawled over her, his hand trailing along the side of her body while he dipped down, “Call me Red.” He whispered in her ear. Her mind was still in a lust-filled haze and she opened her mouth, only for Red to possess it again. She could taste herself on his tongue, moaning into the kiss. She hooked her arms around his neck, feeling something hotter than herself press itself at her entrance. It reminded her of Zim, the tentacle-like cock that he had…this felt the same, only thicker. When he slowly pushed into her Saffron breathed in. It felt like he was filling her up, the hot phallus inside of her pulsating and wet with slick. She moaned into Red’s mouth again and he grinned, thrusting until he was fully inside of her.

She felt different, unlike an Irken. She was tight, but it wasn’t an unwelcomed feeling. He rather enjoyed this, finally parting his lips from hers and moving to grip her hips, pulling her up until he was flush against her.

“Zim will be the last thing on your mind.” Red hissed out, grinding against her. Saffron only whimpered in response, focused on the glowing red eyes in front of her. She was finally taking in those eyes, but they weren’t like Zim’s eyes, no, they were darker. Blood red. _Crimson_.

“Red…”

The Irken growled low in his throat, feeling her shudder in pleasure in response to it, “My name is so pretty coming from your lips,” He slammed his hips into her, “Say it again.”

“Red!” She was starting to burn again, was this what it was like to be burned alive? He felt so hot inside of her, she wanted to melt. When he slammed his hips into her she cried out again, “Red!”

Red bent back down, his sharp thrusts becoming rough and slow, his claws ghosting her cheek. “Doesn’t this just feel good, Ra’leigh?”

Saffron’s eyes widened and she inhaled sharply, feeling the invisible binds clasp over her throat. Red only grinned, finally running his claws down her skin, his touch burning her. “You don’t want anyone but me, do you Ra’leigh?”

She was too overwhelmed with pleasure to think about why he knew her true name, her eye slipping shut, “Y-yes Master.” She breathed.

_“Only then will you have total control over her.”_

Red felt pleasure jolting through him like an electric shock to his system. Control. She was under his control. It had been so long since he had control over anyone, and having control over this one female felt intoxicating. “Call me your Tallest.” He purred.

All she felt was the overwhelming urge to please her master, “My Tallest.”

Those two words seemed to invigorate Red, and he began to fuck her with fervor, going as hard as possible, wanting to engrave himself inside of her. Saffron repeated the title, whimpering and grasping onto him, her nails raking his back the harder he went. “My Tallest—“ This intensity was beyond what she was used to, it felt like he was imprinting himself inside of her body, making sure that she wouldn’t forget. When he adjusted his angle she saw stars, screaming out, “RED!”

Red grit his teeth, feeling her orgasm tense around him, squeezing his phallus as he began to feel his own climax. She was milking him of his own cum, the energy that Red felt before draining away until he finally slumped over her, pleasure buzzing every nerve in his body as exhaustion overtook him. Was this because she was a demon? He didn’t know, he didn’t care. He hooked his arms around her, still nestled inside of her and not planning to leave. Normally Irkens could go on for hours at a time, but as of now he didn’t have that luxury.

Saffron’s heavy breathing was beginning to lessen, still feeling him inside of her. She felt full, almost stuffed, Her tendrils were already coiling around him, content but wanting more. When Red slipped his claws into her mouth she obediently sucked on them tasting something…sweet. Like candy.

“You’re mine, Ra’leigh.” He whispered in her ear, and she felt the binds tighten at the call of her name. She only whimpered in response, nodding weakly. “When you leave this room, when you return to Zim, remember who owns you…” He slipped his claws out of her mouth, trailing them down her neck, over the bite marks that have already healed.

“Yes, My Tallest.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Avery and Dib centric chapter <3

The most awkward moment in his life was waking up next to Avery, in Domino’s room, while Domino was standing just a few feet away. Though, while Dib only found it awkward, Avery found it humiliating.

“Next time find another room.” Said the boss, out of amusement to the fact that his most antisocial subordinate had gotten his jollies off during the night’s party.

Now Avery was in his own room, having taken a long shower to think about what had happened, only to get hard over it and regret thinking about it. If he ever found Crimson he was going to _murder_ him.

“Avery?”

The man winced badly, hurrying into the closet to find his underwear and a pair of pants. The towel was still around his neck and his hair still needed to dry, laying as a uncontrolled nest of brown locks. He knew Dib had entered his room, he could hear the man breathing. He managed to get his pants on, sighing and leaving the closet. “What?”

Dib nearly jumped when Avery popped out of the closet, feeling nervous and a little jumpy as to how Avery would react after that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, ever since it had happened. The experience may have been accidental but he didn’t regret a thing, and it unlocked buried feelings he seemed to be possessing when it came to the other. Right now he just wanted to understand…no, he _needed_ to understand. He wanted to know what had happened, why he was like that…how he could get _closer_. “I want to talk.” Dib told him, turning to face him.

Avery grit his teeth. This wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want to talk about it, he was already feeling enough embarrassment and shame over having allowed himself to get carried away. Not to mention Dib’s affection…the fact that Dib made him feel so pleased and content, the fact that his touch burned him. The fact that he wanted to do it again—

Stop thinking.

Avery looked away, “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Yes there is.” Dib wasn’t going to let Avery avoid this, because it was a very real thing that happened to the both of them and Avery had been avoiding talking about it ever since. “What happened was—“

“A mistake.”

Dib tried to ignore the pang in his heart, of course he’d be in denial. “What happened wasn’t planned at all, but we still need to talk about this. It’s clearly affecting you, you’ve been avoiding me.”

Avery scoffed, “I have not—“

“You’ve been holing yourself in the library.” Dib interrupted him, “If it weren’t for you needing fresh clothes then I wouldn’t be seeing you here right now.”

Avery took the towel to dry his hair, sighing and moving over to the window, staring down at the street below. “What am I supposed to talk about?”

“How about explain to me why alcohol makes you aroused.” Dib went over to the bed, sitting on the edge, “Help me understand that.”

Oh, he was going to _kill_ Crimson…

“It’s a…thing.” Avery mumbled, leaning his forehead against the window. Dib wasn’t going to leave until they talked, was he? He felt too tired to even prolong this. “…I’m an Incubus.” He mumbled.

Dib blinked, “What?”

“AN INCUBUS!” Avery snapped, turning to the other, “Not the fucking demons with wings or anything seductive, I’m the product of a human and a small tentacle monster. I have tentacles, okay?”

“Tentacles?” As he asked it Dib’s eyes searched Avery’s chest, not seeing anything, but it wasn’t long until he felt something slender slip around his neck.

“They’re not something humans can see.” Avery explained. “They extend from my back and come out when my emotions are out of control, black slender tentacles, not like the sea-creatures you see in the oceans. Incubi are made from blood and sexual fluids of those who met a violent death. They’re dream demons at best, able to give you nightmares and drain your life when you’re asleep.”

Dib thought back on that, remembering that recurring nightmare. He came to the realization of why he was having that nightmare, “You were trying to kill me!”

“Maybe.” Avery shrugged, unable to deny it. “You’re still here and talking, are you?” He ignored Dib’s accusing stare, moving to sit next to him. “It’s my job to kill people who try to get close to the truth.”

“So that’s why that file I had was deleted.” Dib was still staring at him, “What are you so afraid of that you’re killing people for?”

Avery stayed quiet, rubbing his palms on his thighs anxiously, “To know that you need to know what I came from.” Was he even ready to let Dib know this much? No one else had gotten this far, no one on the outside… Though, Dib wasn’t technically an outsider, was he? They’ve known each other for quite some time, and there wasn’t any indication that Dib had any connection to _Him_. Avery would have known by now if that were the case.

“I was born in a lab.” Avery began. “It was owned by two men, William Lycroft and Zachariah Genesis. Zachariah was…an occult fanatic…he was obsessed with demons. The lab was dedicated to studying demons. William’s wife worked alongside them, a woman named Diana.”

Dib shifted so he could look at Avery better, the other man staring down at his feet.

“One day Zachariah was successful, he summoned a demon…it was an Incubus, but not the one he had thought would appear. Before he could contain it for study the thing escaped, and Diana was attacked…it raped her, and while William wanted to stop it, Zachariah forced him to watch, because he was curious.” Avery cringed, “After everything was done the thing was taken away to be studied, and Diana wound up pregnant. Zachariah was thrilled, he was interested in what would come out from the pregnancy. They didn’t expect two children that looked nearly human. Though…”

Avery took his glasses off, putting his fingers to his eyes and removing contacts. Dib saw it, Avery’s eyes weren’t green, but pure red, red against a black sclera. Avery studied Dib’s face, looking for fear, disgust, revulsion, only to get none of the above. He didn’t know how to react to that…

He focused on his feet once again. “You’d expect a rape victim to want to reject her children, the ones who were forced on her, but Diana wanted to keep us…William eventually agreed, but Zachariah thought that, since we were created in _his_ lab with a demon _he_ summoned, that we were his and no one else’s. They didn’t agree with each other…but it didn’t really matter. The two of them disappeared, I think Zachariah had them killed, and we became lab experiments. We were raised as such…”

_“No one will accept you, that’s why I have to keep you here. If you went out into the real world, everyone would want to kill you. You’re unnatural, it’s best to stay here.”_

“We were raised to believe that we were monsters…yet at the same time he tried to raise us as those monsters. He wanted Runa to kill people…use the powers she had and kill people he would use in this fake sleep study that he gathered volunteers for. She didn’t want to, so he punished her.”

_A little girl sitting in a cage…_

“He placed Runa in a cage, like she was a dog. It was up to me to kill all those sleeping people, and if I could do that, he would let Runa out of the cage so we could play. So, I killed them…” Avery’s hands were beginning to shake, and he shut his eyes. “I don’t remember how many I killed…”

Dib felt sick, to know that he was forced to kill innocent people… He reached over and grasped Avery’s hand, squeezing it consolingly. Avery didn’t look his way, but his tendrils curled around Dib’s wrist, the rest of them pulling him closer.

“How did you get away?” Dib asked.

“We were eighteen when that happened.” Avery said quietly, “Because Runa kept refusing to kill people, Zachariah planned to terminate her. I refused to let that happen, so…I broke us out.” He smiled, though it was faint. “I managed to find him, sleeping…it was so easy to kill him, and I left before I was discovered…and the lab…well, we managed to destroy that, all those chemicals could easily start an explosion. We fled. We kept running until we came to New Vera, and we became pickpockets to survive. That’s how we found Matthew…” There was more to the story but Avery didn’t feel ready to explain that, _Him_ …

How he was a glorified pet for the good of five years.

Dib leaned against Avery, catching the other off-guard. “We have something in common.” Dib told him, “We’re both created in a lab.”

Avery looked at him, his eyebrows raising. “You…?”

“I’m technically a clone of my father…though, as you can see, I didn’t really fit the criteria.” He smiled wanly.

That seemed to strike Avery differently, the fact that Dib had a nearly similar background as he did. Though, Dib wasn’t forced to kill innocent people to make a madman happy… even so, the knowledge made Avery feel less…alone. He sighed, his eyes on Dib’s hand in his own, their fingers interlaced. “The alcohol has a severe effect on us. We lose our inhibitions and lust clouds our minds…we become…tools.”

_“Just one sip, try it. I’m sure you’ll like it.”_

Dib frowned, “You were restraining yourself.”

“Only because you were there. I…never expected that to go…the way it did.” He hated the fact that he was getting hard just thinking about it, covering his lap with his towel. Dib seemed to notice the reaction.

“I didn’t expect that either.” Dib said honestly, keeping his eyes on the towel. “But…I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t enjoy it. Didn’t you?”

Avery shut his eyes again. He had to remember that this had been done out of selflessness, that Dib didn’t have ulterior motives. It was pure…compared to what he was used to. Every part of his touch was from honest intent. He held in a sound that wanted to escape, because his body hadn’t had the crave of touch for so long, just thinking about it was making it unbearable. No, he couldn’t.

“I…” Avery bit his lip and turned his head away, unable to answer.

Dib could see how strained Avery was, reaching out to turn Avery’s head so they were again eye-to-eye. “You know if it’s hurting you then you don’t have to force yourself.”

Avery tore his eyes away, “It’ll go away.” He said quietly, “All I have to do is ignore it.”

Dib reached for the towel and ripped it away, exposing the truth. Avery cried out and reached for it, the two of them fighting for the towel before Avery slipped off of the bed and fell, dragging Dib along with him as his tendrils were still coiled around him. Dib landed on top of Avery, the towel forgotten as the man pushed himself up, able to see Avery’s problem below him. “You can’t ignore it. It’s a normal human reaction and the only thing you can do is take care of it.”

Avery’s face flushed, “I’m not a normal human, Dib!”

“But you’re part—“ Dib stopped mid-sentence, staring at Avery in shock. “You just called me Dib.”

The man turned his head away, “…it doesn’t mean anything.”

The way Avery looked so embarrassed and pouty was cute, Dib couldn’t help but smile. He knew, however, if he pointed that out to Avery the other would try to hit him. “Just let me help you…”

Avery didn’t answer, but he didn’t resist either, and Dib reached down to open Avery’s pants. He felt like he was getting that second chance he had wanted, he didn’t want to ruin this, bringing down Avery’s pants and briefs enough to set free the other’s cock. This time he wanted to try something else, running his fingers along the shaft and bending over.

There was a sharp intake of breath when Avery felt something hot and moist run along his shaft, his eyes widening as he looked directly at Dib, who was licking along the other’s hardened flesh. He felt the blood rushing to his face and he instantly bit down on his lip, trying not to moan. Was he—? He was, wasn’t he? This…

_“It’s okay, just lick it, you’ll enjoy yourself.”_

Avery looked away quickly, this was _so much_ different…

Dib could feel Avery trembling underneath him, taking the man further into his mouth. He just wanted to make Avery feel good, he wanted to help him. The texture of Avery’s cock was different than a human’s. It was smoother and bumpy along the sides, the head coming up to a point, but what leaked out didn't taste like semen. It tasted...sweet. He sighed, laving his tongue along the shaft and sucking at the head, bobbing up and down as he worked to make Avery cum.

Avery was having trouble keeping himself from making any kind of noise, a whimper escaping his lips as the man laid back, unable to stare anymore and focusing on the pleasure that he was receiving. This was his first, no one had done this to him before. This was entirely new and he was receiving it from _Dib_. He stopped trying to fight back the moans, his eyes falling shut. ”Dib--”

The sound of his name being breathed from Avery’s lips made him shudder, Dib lapping up the sweet precum and doubling his efforts, taking Avery as far as he could go. He was glad that he at least had some experience to know what he was doing, using his hand to stroke Avery’s base while sucking on the tip. He tasted so good! Why did he want more?

.

”Dib!” Avery’s hips jolted upwards, he could feel the pressure building and he wanted nothing more than to cum, but what would happen after this? The urges weren't going to go away now that they were back. Was Dib really going to do this for him all the time? What did this mean? Their relationship was different now... He felt his frenzied thoughts war with his overflowing lust, his breaths coming quick as he was nearing the edge, ”Please--please--” Avery found himself begging until he felt the pressure break him, ”Dib!”

Dib nearly choked on the cum that filled his mouth, swallowing the copious amount and sighing in pleasure. If Avery tasted so good then he wouldn't really mind having to do this often. He wondered what this made them, his heart thumping at the implications. He licked his lips and crawled to Avery, leaning down to kiss him softly. He was now hard but he ignored it for now, he could take care of that later.

Avery sighed into the kiss and returned it, curling into Dib while his tendrils pulled the other closer. He liked this part the most, kissing Dib for as long as possible and forgetting that time even existed. When Dib’s tongue lapped at his lips Avery let him explore, moaning into it while his tongue swirled around Dib’s.

When he felt the kiss end Dib pulled away, finding that Avery had fallen asleep again. He only smiled and shifted closer to him, laying his head on the man’s chest and closing his eyes.

This was more than a friendship now, wasn’t it?

He didn’t seem to mind.

* * *

He found himself back in that extravagant mansion, and when Dib looked down his clothes were now a black tuxedo. He felt the mask on his face, hearing the music overhead. He was back at the masquerade. He groaned inwardly, was Avery trying to kill him now?

He couldn’t help but check his watch, as he did in every single repeat of the dream. He was waiting, staring up the marble staircase. He hoped that this wasn’t Avery trying to kill him again, because he only wanted to help him. When Dib tried to wake up, he found that he couldn’t pull himself away.

The sound of footsteps alerted Dib to Avery’s appearance, the half-demon making his way out from the entrance. The face wasn’t blurred this time around, exposing Avery’s masked face, the mask being a vertical opposite to his horizontal. His eyes were still red, but there wasn’t any malicious intent to them. His tuxedo wasn’t like Dib’s, instead of a tie there was a victorian-style cravat, the vest underneath being a forest green.

“So you’re not trying to kill me.” Dib found himself saying before he realized he said it.

Avery smirked slightly, proceeding down the steps to meet with him. Out from behind him came the black tendrils, and Dib could see them clearly, long slender tentacles that he couldn’t see otherwise. The way Dib looked so stunned seemed to amuse Avery, stopping one step away from him. “Have you been waiting long?”

Dib blinked, wondering where the shy and embarrassed Avery had gone to, seeing that he was replaced by the confident and cocky side, unless this was actually his dream and it wasn’t real. As if Avery was reading his mind he reached out to pinch Dib’s cheek, making the other yelp. “Ow!”

“Is it real now?” He queried, still smirking.

Dib rubbed his cheek, frowning. “Don’t read my mind.”

“I’m inside of your dream, Dib, I can pretty much control it however I see fit.”

“…you said my name again.” Dib pointed out, watching as Avery realized what he had done. The cocky smugness had vanished for a moment, the blush creeping into Avery’s skin as he man looked away. Dib couldn’t help but smile.

“Don’t sound so shocked.” Avery said in a softer voice.

“How can I not be, you never called me by my first name until we—“

“Do you want to dance or not?” Avery interrupted him quickly, fully red now. Dib snorted in amusement, holding his hand out. Avery took it, keeping himself from looking at Dib directly and leading the other out onto the dance floor. They weren’t alone in the dream, surrounded by nameless faces also in masks, people that didn’t matter other than the two of them. Avery placed his other hand on Dib’s waist, leading them into a waltz.

“Wait you’re leading?” Dib cried out, “This is my dream!”

“Shut up and follow.” Avery snapped, without the vitriol that came with it. The music filled the silence between them, and Dib did his best to follow, surprisingly not messing up his steps but he figured it was because it was a dream.

“So…what are we now?” Dib asked then, looking up at Avery, more-so at his red eyes. “After what we just did—“

Avery groaned, “Do we have to discuss it here as well? Can’t you just enjoy this? It’s a dream, stop thinking!”

“I can’t stop thinking, Avery. I want to know where we stand, I won’t be satisfied until I figure everything out, I thought you knew that by now.”

He did know, but he also thought that perhaps he wouldn’t want to deal with it in a dream. Avery stayed quiet for a moment, thinking over everything. This relationship wasn’t what he was used to. He was used to being used and cast aside. Dib was overlooking his own needs to make Avery happy, something that he never experienced. This relationship was a selfless one…

They stopped dancing when the music transitioned and Avery led Dib to a balcony. The night sky was a black canvas filled with white twinkling stars, when Dib looked he could see more than the night sky, but the murky purples and blues of space. His eyes went wide, wondering if this was Avery’s doing or his own, he’d never seen anything so beautiful.

Avery watched the sky along with him, glancing down to find Dib’s hand on the ledge. He reached over to touch the hand, in which Dib turned it so they could join hands.

“I think you already know the answer.” Avery finally told him, his eyes back on the sky.

Dib blinked, turning to face Avery, taking in his form. He remembered when he was just getting to know Avery and how the other man was so angry constantly, how recently that anger became facets of other emotions, until Dib was finally seeing what Avery was hiding underneath the hostility. The demon had exposed every part of him to Dib, and he was the only one who had the chance to see him this way. He loved what he was looking at.

Avery could hear Dib’s thoughts clearly, closing his eyes and breathing in. Oh, if he knew that he wasn’t the first… though, Avery didn’t mind him being the last. He turned to face Dib, the two of them staring at each other silently.

When a shooting star flashed through the swirling canvas of space Dib leaned forward and kissed Avery, his hand cupping the other’s cheek. Avery reached up and placed his hand behind Dib’s neck, their other hands still intertwined. When it ended the two of them parted, Dib smiling at Avery while the other looked listless, he still wasn’t used to being treated this way.

“If we’re going to stay here then I want to have some punch.” Dib unlaced his fingers from Avery’s, “I’ll be back.” He darted off then, and Avery watched him leave. He took off his mask and turned back to the sky, his heart thumping in his chest. It was nearly perfect.

Though, when a hand touched his shoulder he shuddered, the hand sliding across his back to the other shoulder, grasping it. It was gloved in white, possessed by a man in a white tuxedo. He wore an ivory mask covering his ice blue eyes, his hair matching his suit. Avery froze up like a stone, not knowing why He was inside Dib’s dream.

“You know it’s impossible to hide from me in another’s dream, Avrithan.”

Avery’s breath hitched and he felt familiar binds wrap around him. “But you’re human…”

“I still reside in your subconscious.” The man said softly in the other’s ear, the hand that was on his shoulder now carding through Avery’s hair, petting him like he was his pet. “Do you honestly think that allowing someone other than me to touch you so intimately won’t get back to me out in the real world? Remember, Avrithan, you promised that you’d stay with me…I’m going to punish you for breaking that promise, among all the other punishments you’re going to receive.” He whispered, the voice actually making Avery shudder and grip the ledge, his knees going weak out of reflex.

“Master—“

“Good,” The man continued to pet him, “You still know your place… I’m still looking for you Avrithan, it won’t be long until you’re mine again.”

Just like that the man’s touch left him and he had gone away, leaving Avery a quivering anxious mess at the balcony. He shut his eyes, trying to get himself back together. He took a deep breath, the quivering slowly leaving him as his body began to relax.

“I’m back.”

Avery’s eyes opened and he placed the mask back on, turning to Dib. He pulled on a hesitant smile.

“Welcome back…”

He had to keep telling himself that He wasn’t there, that it was just his subconscious fears, and that he had successfully parted from Him.

From Gabriel.

From Zachariah’s son.


	7. Chapter 7

Pain was something Saffron was used to. In fact, sometimes she welcomed it. She idly felt the almost unidentifiable bite mark on her neck, remembering how good it felt when—

She shouldn’t be thinking of that, not at this point.

“I don’t want it visible.” Saffron told him, having undressed herself and laid flat on the bed. “For the job, alright?”

“The point of me marking you is to show off to everyone else that you have been claimed.” Zim frowned, sitting at the bed and looking along her skin. “If I hide this then I don’t have a point in doing it in the first place.”

“You’re the one who’s been wanting to mark me for the longest time,” Saffron rolled over so he could check her backside. “Either agree to my terms or it’s not going on at all.”

Zim let out a frustrated growl, which seemed to affect Saffron in the way he meant it to. She shuddered, glaring over at him, “That’s cheating!”

“Silence while I think this over!” Zim shouted, circling his claws, “Turn back around.”

She flipped back onto the other side, laying perfectly still. “Hurry up, I’m getting cold.”

Zim made a gesture like he was rolling his eyes, but in his Irken form it was hard to tell when he was, the alien hunching over and envisioning certain spots where the brand could go. He bent over and roamed his hands along her skin, making her shiver from his touch. He couldn’t help but grin, finally deciding on a spot. “Don’t move.” He instructed, shifting into a better position as his pack legs extended.

Saffron watched the appendages, the sharpened needles that descended onto her flesh. It was just like getting a tattoo, she thought, wincing slightly as the needle began to work on her skin. She sighed and leaned her head back, actually enjoying the process. Zim seemed to be too focused on applying the tattoo than on her reactions, however his antennae were perking her way.

It was nearly frustrating that this pain was turning her on, and she couldn’t even move. She was sure Zim knew by now, he wasn’t completely stupid when it came to her body. He seemed to know _every time_ when she was ready. She felt him touch her, holding her down as if on reflex while he finished up the tattoo. It was black, the ink drying quickly while the skin around it was slightly flushed from the pain, but he knew because of Saffron that the wound would heal quicker than a normal human with a tattoo would. She had gotten her first tattoo six months ago, and it was an experience she wished she could have done sooner than six months ago. Her right shoulder and arm was fully decorated in black tendrils, which was how she was visualizing the ones she possessed as a demon.

When he finally looked at her he could finally see it, how much the pain affected her. She was staring at him intently, practically begging him to do something about the unrest he had caused within her. He only grinned in return, moving himself over her and dipping his head down to kiss her, “Did I just flip a switch?” He mused.

“Either fuck me or get out.” She growled.

Zim couldn’t help but laugh, removing his pants. That was the only thing he was wearing at the moment, settling himself between her legs. He hooked his arms under her knees, pulling her further down, raising himself just right so that they were aligned. “You’re just so perfect when you’re under me.”

Before Zim could thrust himself into her Saffron glared at him and used her legs to grapple him,managing to shift their positions so that she was the one on top. Zim’s eyes widened at the sudden switch, because never had he been on the bottom. “Saffron—“

“I want to do something different.” She smiled at him, a sweet and innocent smile that he knew by now was more evil than it seemed. His phallus was already out, dripping with slick and waiting to be used. The woman felt it brush against her ass, shivering from the sensation and kneeling upward so that it was in the right place. When she sank back down it found its desired location and the two of them groaned, Saffron resting herself onto his cock and sighing.

This was different. This was very, very different. It usually went one of two ways, him over her or her bent over something, but from the feeling of her straddling him like this, it didn’t feel any less pleasurable. The sight in front of him wasn’t bad either. No, she looked lovely like this. “What now?”

Saffron laughed at his question, moving herself up only to thrust back down onto him, “Just lay there and let me work.” She continued to give him that smile, starting to move her hips. The pleasure was instant, and Zim groaned, reflexively holding her thighs while she began to ride him. He quickly decided that this position wasn’t a bad one, and that it was quickly moving to the top of the list. He did as she said, laying back and watching her rock her hips, her own moans and sighs filling the silence. When he thought there wasn’t much to it she began to get rougher, grinding herself against him and eliciting pleased trills. He was getting the urge to take control, the sight of her arched against him looking so perfect was making him want to do something that caused her to unravel. He was ready to take this for as long as she could go, and given her demonic side, she had enough stamina to last as long as he did. Though, for now he was holding himself back, letting her drive him crazy at the pace she was going. She was good at making the pleasure excruciatingly slow, she knew how to tease and torment him, and he knew how to make her beg.

She placed her hands on his abdomen as she began to up her pace. She was getting close to her first orgasm and by how he was watching her she knew he knew it. She swirled her hips and ground against him, breathing in shakily and shutting her eyes. Her tendrils were already out, finding Zim’s wrists and wrapping around both of them as her body shuddered against his. “Zim—“ She breathed, bouncing on his cock until she reached her first orgasm. “AH—“

That was his cue, and Zim gripped her thighs hard and slammed his hips upwards, making her cry out in shock. Her eyes snapped back open and she could see his determination, “ZIM—“ The second thrust was enough to wrack her with an intense jolt of pleasure, the Irken repeating his thrusts, pistoning into her as fast and hard as he could go. She began to scream, collapsing onto him until she felt appendages wrap around her, pulling her back upright and tying her in place. Saffron couldn’t look away from Zim, catching his menacing grin as he took advantage of this new position. Her second orgasm was ripped out of her and she cried out his name again, the appendages around her arms and torso squeezing slightly. He knew she liked it as painful as possible, her thighs starting to bleed from how hard his claws were digging into her flesh.

He was going too fast and hard for her to have a breath in between, her orgasm being ripped from her a third time while a fourth was mounting. Though, with each orgasm Saffron had it was driving Zim closer and closer to his own. He was doing his best to hold himself back, but when she reached her fourth the constricting of her walls became too much for him, sending Zim snarling out his own climax like a feral beast, slamming into her one last time before he began to pump his release into her. The two of them were left panting and weak, and the appendages released her. Saffron collapsed onto Zim, weak and tired and more than sated from the full-frontal assault. Zim let out a pleased trill and hooked an arm around her, the two of them basking in their post-coital haze.

It wasn’t until a few minutes had passed until they finally began to stir. They had just come down from their orgasmic high, and Saffron sighed.

_”Ra’leigh...”_

She winced at the voice, only to realize that it was in her head. She still wanted to know how Crimson... _Red_...found her name. No one knew that name, no one alive anyway.

_”You haven't been a very good girl, Ra’leigh.” The man told her as she was locked inside the cage. ”You’re supposed to obey your master.”_

_The girl refused to answer him, her eyes looking down at the floor instead. It was the only thing she wouldn't do, she couldn't do._

_The man looked disappointed, running his fingers through his white-blonde hair. ”If you won't do as I say then I'll use your brother. I want you to think about why you're such a bad girl, Ra’leigh.”_

”Runa.”

Saffron blinked, coming out of the memory at the sound of her human name. She glanced up at Zim, wondering why he said Runa and not Saffron. ”Huh?”

”I've been calling your name for a minute.” Zim explained, ”What’s wrong?”

The woman pulled on a carefree smile, looking up at Zim. ”Nothing.” She lied, ”I was just thinking that we haven't went on an actual date.”

”A date?” An antennae quirked in her direction and she kept her smile.

”Things human couples do.” She told him, ”To show affection to each other. I was thinking...since we’re now...kismets...and all...” She shifted so she was sitting beside him, seeing the thoughtful expression on Zim’s face.

”A date.” He repeated, grinning. ”I like the sound of that. A date where I can proclaim to the entire planet that you are my kismet!” He wanted nothing more than to claim her in public, to show off that she was his and no one else’s. He wanted nothing more than to put her tattoo on display.

Saffron regretted ever bringing it up. A date on new years eve sounded terribly romantic but horrible at the same time, but when she looked at Zim and seen how overjoyed he looked, then she couldn't help but not give him this. She reached past him to pick up her phone, checking the local events. ”New Year's Eve is especially romantic for couples, it's considered lucky to receive a New Year's kiss from the one you love at midnight.”

Zim was enjoying this idea more and more. ”Where do we have to go?”

She stayed silent as she scrolled through the webpages, her eye catching onto a schedule. ”New Vera Amusement Park. They're open for New Years as a couples and family event.”

The mention of an amusement park had him blink confusedly. ”Whats an amusement park?”

Saffron looked up at him, ”Letting you see it sounds more interesting than telling you about it. You'll like it, there's a bunch of rides and sugary snacks.” The more she talked about it the more she began to think it was a good idea. Perhaps if she was out on a date with Zim she would become too distracted to even think about Red. It sounded good, better than the alternative. She wasn't required to work until the fifth of January, she wouldn't have to see him for a few days.

She would be able to enjoy her time with Zim.

_”Don’t forget who owns you, Ra’leigh...”_

Saffron shrugged the memory away, hiding her unease behind a cool smile.

Zim, meanwhile, was eager, nearly jumping out of the bed in his haste. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

“You sound like an excited child.” It made Saffron laugh, and that was a good thing. Zim reminded her so much of a child sometimes, he looked at everything in joy or disgust. There was no in-between, it was one of the things she liked about him.

She found that she liked a lot of things about him…

When did she begin to like him so much?

_Because he treats you like you’re special_ , she thought to herself. No one’s ever treated her like how he treated her, perhaps that’s what scared her so much, finally having someone so in love with her that they’re willing to spend the rest of their lives with her. It was a big decision and it scared her. Well, it _used_ to.

But, now that she expressed her fears and he reassured her worries, she still had something standing in the way of her and Zim’s being together, and he was nearly seven feet tall with glowing red eyes…

How did Red know her _name_?

Saffron shook her head, trying to forget about _him_ in favor of dressing up for the outdoor weather, as she wasn’t being given the option to bathe beforehand. Zim had finished faster than she had, already dressed with his hoodie and beanie, eying her choice of clothes. He scowled when she raised her jeans over the tattoo, “Wear it lower.” He said. She glanced down at her jeans, lowering them to see the tattoo and rolling her eye.

“No.” She answered, bringing them back up. “You shoulda thought about that before choosing that spot.”

Zim made a pouty little face and folded his arms in protest, making Saffron look away as she found a sweater. “You can make that face all you want, I’m not walking around naked just so people can see that.” She went quiet for a moment, an idea forming, “Hey, Zim?”

“What?” He was still pouting, looking at the floor like a petulant child. “What more can you say to douse my hopes and dreams?”

She giggled and went over to him, raising his chin and smiling. “I know a way you can show off to everyone that I’m yours.”

Twenty minutes later, at a jewelry shop downtown, Zim burst through the door, “I require your flashiest, most expensive ring!”

Saffron put a hand to her mouth, watching all the employees scramble to grab their selections.

* * *

“You really didn’t need to get me the most expensive one.” Saffron told him, all the while staring at the 18k white gold ring that had a 2 karat diamond in the center, she knew he had the money for it, but she didn’t think he’d use it all.

Zim, however, looked pleased at the selection, and as they made their way to the amusement park, every guy they had passed he had grabbed Saffron’s hand to display the ring that he selected. The only thing Saffron did was laugh, because it was better than the thought of Zim yanking down her pants in order to show off the tattoo. When they had gotten to the amusement park Zim had insisted on paying, again displaying the ring. It was a little embarrassing this time around, and she could only smile when the man stared at them oddly. They received their passes and went into the gated park, where Saffron managed to hide her hand before Zim could display it at the nearest person.

“Stop showing it to everyone.”

“Can’t I be proud that you’re my lifemate?”

“You can be proud, Zim, but not every married man shows all other men the wedding ring he gave his wife.” She took his hand instead, “Holding hands is enough.”

“Then I will be the proudest hand-holder in this universe.”

The statement was more than adorable and it made her blush, looking away as they made their way further inside the park. In the distance, she could see a familiar face, staring back at her.

_“Ra’leigh.”_

“So what do humans do in a park of amusements?” Asked Zim, snapping her out of it. She blinked, finding that the person she saw wasn’t there anymore.

“Well, there are rides and games to play.” She pulled him to a large map next to an information center, finding a smaller foldable map to take and pulling one out. “You like things fast and thrilling, right?” She gave him a wicked smile, pointing him to one of the rollercoasters. “Let’s go here.”

Zim didn’t know what the fuck it was that she was pointing at, nodding anyway and letting her lead. Not once did he allow her to remove her hand from his, so he was forced to be her other hand for the sake of reading the map.

Zim had never gone on a rollercoaster before, and at first he was hesitant to get into the contraption, though with encouragement from Saffron he relented, joining her in one of the cars. What happened next was a scream-inducing, blood-pumping and amazingly fast ride that had Zim screaming the entire time while Saffron laughed like the devil herself. By the time it was over Zim was still screaming, which Saffron stopped with a kiss.

He wanted to go though all the rides after that, fueled by public kisses and the need to display their affection.

Though, wherever the two of them went Saffron felt like she was being watched, and no matter where she turned she would get a familiar sight of red hair. She wondered if it was paranoia, or just the underlying guilt of having slept with Red, but try as she might to ignore it, he was always there. Never close enough to be seen, but far enough to spot from the naked eye. It caused her to come anxious, doing her best to mask it as Zim and herself hardly separated unless she needed the bathroom or to play a game.

With Zim’s insistence they had gone about the entire park, the sky being black once they were finished with the final ride. It was nearing midnight, couples all around gathering the center square to enjoy the midnight fireworks show. Zim, however, pulled Saffron to a rooftop nearby on the highest building when no one was looking, the two of them still holding hands. Zim looked pleased with himself, smiling brightly when he stared up at the sky.

Saffron was checking her watch, it wouldn’t be long until the countdown. She had begun to relax, forgetting about having seen Red. The day had been too fun for her to waste it worrying. Being with Zim and enjoying everything with him felt so emotionally satisfying. She had never felt this close to a single person before, not ever. Just looking at him made her heart pound, and when she looked at the ring on her finger she felt joy. Was this what love felt like? This had to be love, wasn’t it? Now that they understood each other she felt like being separated from him would be the worst thing possible.

“Iloveyou.”

Zim’s head perked up and he looked at Saffron, “Say what?”

The woman was flushed, staring down at the crowd of people. “I said I love you.”

Zim suddenly had this floaty feeling in his chest and he couldn’t help but let out a happy trill. “I love you too—“

“This is so sweet.”

Saffron went still, and Zim turned around. ”You?” He growled defensively, ”What are you doing here?” He demanded.

Red smiled. ”I've come to finally get rid of you, Zim.”

”Eh?” Zim glared at him, ”What makes you think a mere human can get rid of the great and powerful Zim?”

Red smirked, ”You still have that ego, I see. But what is that ego to a Tallest?” Red deactivated his disguise, exposing his Irken visage to the other. Zim’s eyes widened and he began to hiss, raising his fists.

”W-what are you doing here?”

“It's a little something called revenge, Zim. I'm sure you heard of it. It happens when someone you underestimate for years turns around and stabs you in the back.” Red rolled his shoulders, ”I've been waiting for this, Zim, and after I kill you I'm taking my lovely prize with me.”

Saffron was still frozen to the spot, unable to move or look at him. Zim finally realized that she hadn't turned or moved an inch. ”Saffron?”

Red grinned, ”Thank you for keeping my kismet occupied, Zim. She’s ready to return to her Tallest now, isn't that right Ra’leigh?”

Saffron inhaled sharply, feeling the binds coil around her. She finally turned to him, starting to leave Zim’s side. Zim reached over to grasp her arm but she moved away before he could touch her, ”Saffron!” He cried out.

Saffron stopped before Red, the taller Irken grinning down at her. ”My good girl.” He whispered, leading down to kiss her.

Boiling anger flared through Zim’s veins and he advanced.

“Hold him back.” Red whispered, and just as Zim got close enough Saffron’s tendrils shot out at him and shoved him back. Zim looked shocked, making sure not to fall off the edge of the roof.

“Saffron!” Zim cried again, “What are you doing?”

Red chuckled and kissed her again. Saffron went still, feeling his claws comb through her hair, “You mean you don’t know, Zim? You call her your kismet and you don’t even know what she even is, do you?”

“Stop touching my FEMALE!”

Red smirked, stepping closer to Zim. “She’s my female, Zim. I speak her True Name, she only listens to me.” When Zim looked confused Red’s smirk turned into a grin, “You see with demons, I’ve learned that they possess multiple names. There’s the one that she’s given you, and then there’s one that she keeps secret, something she’s never told a soul about. That’s her real name, and if anyone says it, they gain complete power over her, that's what Gabriel had told me.”

Zim snarled, trying to get closer despite the tendrils holding him back, “What kind of nonsense is this? Her name is Runa!”

“No, it’s not.” Red corrected her, “Runa is the name she chose to hide Ra’leigh.”

Saffron’s eye twitched, and she forced her tendrils away from Zim. The Irken stumbled forward, his claws itching to tear out Red’s eyes. He didn’t know what was going on but he wanted to stop it.

“I’ll kill you for touching her!” Zim attacked Red head on, his pack legs extending as a weapon. Red managed to dodge the legs, activating his shield when they returned to attack him.

Whatever fight that was doing on behind Saffron was lost to her as she began to shake. Gabriel was here. Gabriel was here. That meant he was looking for Avery. Did Avery know? No he probably didn’t. How did Gabriel know Red, when did they interact? How long has this been going on? Did Red come into the Syndicate just to get to Zim? He had been lying this whole time! The sounds of battle were the only thing she heard aside from her own thoughts and the pounding of her heart. Her hands were shaking and she couldn’t bring herself to move. Gabriel, Zachariah’s son, he told Red her name—

“Ra’leigh!”

Saffron’s back went stiff and she whipped around, her eyes going wide at the sight. Red standing at the edge of the building with Zim in a headlock, his gun poised to shoot Zim in the side of the head. Zim couldn’t afford to move, for anything could make Red pull the trigger. Saffron’s heart was still pounding in her ears, but she couldn’t do anything against him. “Zim—“

“Saffron!” Zim called out to her, not understanding why she wasn’t moving.

“She only answers to me, Zim.” Red grinned, “I think…it would be a lovely sight to watch her shoot you instead, wouldn’t it? My darling little demon murdering her own kismet.” A pack leg extended from behind and poised itself at Zim’s chest. “Catch.” He shouted at Saffron, tossing the gun over to her.

Saffron caught it quickly, turning it towards them and holding it. Her hands were shaking and she felt riddled with anxiety. Red wanted her to shoot Zim—

“Shoot him, Ra’leigh.” Red commanded, but while Saffron’s finger went to the trigger she wouldn’t shoot, the gun in her hands unable to stay steady. The longer she stared at Zim the more she could see her past, the memories of what that man wanted her to do to those innocent people…

_“I want you to kill them.” Said Zachariah, gesturing to all the sleeping patients on their beds. She was in the center of the room, staring at the beds and feeling sick._

_“I don’t want to—“_

_“An order is an order, Ra’leigh. Kill them.”_

_Runa felt the chains entangle her and bear down, and she felt the uncontrollable urge to do as her Master said, but there was still that voice inside of her head that kept her from acting. Don’t do this, it said, you’ll regret everything, it cried._

_Zachariah only watched the girl hesitate, feeling displeasure at her unwillingness to obey a command. “I’m not telling you again, Ra’leigh. Kill them.”_

_Runa continued to hesitate, her body beginning to tremble. She couldn’t kill people, killing was wrong, they didn’t do anything bad, they didn’t deserve to die, what did they do to need to be killed?_

_But you have to obey him, another voice said, he holds control over you, obey him. Do what he wants, don’t think about it, just do it._

_Kill them. Don’t do it. Obey your master. They did nothing wrong._

_Something snapped in the girl’s head, and she began to scream._

The screaming was ear-piercing, the woman’s grip on the gun shaking even more. Her finger finally pulled the trigger.

BANG.

Zim’s breath fell short, his eyes widening, feeling Red’s grip around his neck loosening. He turned around just in time to see the other stumble back, having been shot in the head, through his left eye. He was teetering over the edge, in pure shock that Saffron had shot him and not Zim. Zim’s eyes narrowed and he reached out to shove Red over the edge.

“Ra’leigh—“ Red felt gravity overtake him and he could hear screaming, the Irken plummeting to the ground below.

Zim listened to the panicked human screams, ignoring them and turning back to Saffron, making his way over to her. The woman was in tears, her hands still wrapped around the gun as she sobbed openly. All she could hear was her own heartbeat, the world bleary through the tears in her eyes. She was in shock, that she nearly killed Zim, the bullet was intended for him!

But she had still killed someone. Her gut churned at the fact that she had just shot someone, no matter who they were.

The Irken knelt down and took a hold of the gun in her hands, managing to take it away from her, “I like you better with swords.” He commented, as if she just didn’t kill someone. There were faint sounds of sirens, but he didn’t pay them any mind, helping her to her feet. “You’re in no shape to run are you.”

“ZIM!” She finally lunged at him, clinging to the other’s hoodie, her tears staining the fabric. Zim only sighed, reaching out to pet her soothingly.

“We have to leave.” He told her, “Can you do that?” When she nodded he pulled her along, taking her though the fire escape.

They were gone long before the police arrived.

* * *

It took Zim about an hour to get Saffron calmed down, and the two of them ended up in bed, the woman curled at Zim’s side, her eyepatch having been removed and her hair splayed out along the bed, holding on to him as if he would be ripped away from her at any moment.

“Are you in the mood to explain things?” The Irken finally asked, checking his watch.

She glanced up at him, feeling too insecure about having to explain _that_. “I told you what we were, did I?”

Zim thought back on it, how Saffron explained to him what Incubi are and the ability they had, it was at least two months into their relationship when that happened. “Yes.”

She shut her eyes, “When me and Avery were born our birth mother had a dream, and that was about our names. She didn’t know that exposing those names to the wrong person could actually do something…bad. True Names, it’s a legend among humans, if they discover a demon’s True Name that they hold power over that demon, and they can force it to do whatever they want.”

Zim remembered Red’s explanation, sighing. “So…your real name is Ra’leigh?”

Saffron winced, feeling the familiar pull. “Don’t say it please. My real name is Runa.”

“Runa.” Zim corrected himself, “Your given name’s your weakness.”

She nodded slightly, “I don’t…know how Red found out…” She looked up at him, “Who was he, anyway?”

Zim sighed, “That, is one of my Tallests. He and I grew up together, along with another named Purple, but when they started to show height they were treated better.” He paused, “Domino knows him as well. He was with them up until the Great Measuring.”

Saffron shifted so that she could wrap her arms around one of Zim’s, “Something happened with me and Red.” When Zim looked down at her, she shied her eyes away, ashamed. “I…someone spiked the punch at the Christmas party…Red gave me a glass and…”

He remembered clearly what effect alcohol had on Saffron, and he felt himself tense up, “If he’s not dead then I’m going to hunt him down and kill him myself.” He curled a hand around her arm, “Tomorrow we’re going to tell Domino about this, he’ll know what to do.”

“But—I shot him in the head—“ Her voice cracked as she said it, “Isn’t he—“

“A headshot from a human projectile weapon isn’t enough to cause lethal damage to an Irken.” Zim told her, rubbing her back. “You didn’t kill anyone, calm yourself.”

There was silence between them after that, and Saffron managed to calm down, taking a breath and thinking. “There’s someone else we need to worry about.” She said then, “Someone who’s more of a danger to me and Avery than Red is to you.”

Zim quirked an antennae, “Who’s that?”

“Gabriel Genesis.”


	8. Chapter 8

_A brunette boy with braided hair down to his waist sat on the floor, staring at the books he found interest in. Summers were always like this, his Master would retrieve him once he was home and then they’d stay in his room. Some times he would teach the other how to read, other times he would play a game. This summer was no different than the last, and as Avery looked over the many books there were on the bookshelf, he wondered just how many stories he would read this summer._

_Though, his searching was interrupted, and another boy walked into the room, a white-blonde boy with a smile on his face. He was holding what looked like to be a pretty pink dress with lace and ribbons. Avery stopped browsing the bookshelf to turn his attention to the boy, Gabriel, his Master._

_“I’ve brought you something Avrithan.” The boy had said, stepping further into the room. “I think you’d just look so perfect in this.”_

_Avery inspected the dress and felt a cold chill go down his spine, not liking the garment at all, “I don’t like…”_

_His words were quickly drowned out, “I went through all this trouble to get you a lovely dress and all you can do is say you don’t like it?” He frowned, looking disappointed, “It’s a gift, gifts are received with graciousness.”_

_Avery bit his lip and looked away, sighing, “I’m sorry Master, thank you.” He didn’t really understand the point of the gift, he wasn’t a girl, it would have been better suited for his sister. “But may I ask why it’s a dress?”_

_Gabriel’s blue eyes brightened, “We’re going outside the property.”_

_The announcement had Avery confused, as he was told he couldn’t leave at all, lest the people in the outside world would kill him for what he was. He pointed at his eyes, and Gabriel seemed to understand, gazing at the blood-red irises on black sclera. He pulled out another item, a small box. “I’ve thought about that already.”_

_Gabriel proceeded to go forward, setting the dress on the bed, “We can’t have you looking like you do now, the scientists will know. It’s best if you look like a girl. When I get done with you you’ll look fully human.”_

_Avery flushed, looking down at the floor. “Why do we need to go outside?” He asked then, unsure of why he needed to look like a girl._

_“So we can go on a date.” Gabriel smiled at him, “Wouldn’t you like that Avithan? I’ll take you somewhere special.”_

_Avery looked back up at the other boy, seeing how happy he looked. While he didn’t want to dress up like a girl the smile on his Master’s face only made it hard for him to say no. Not that he could say no to begin with, but if this made him look so happy, then who was he to deny him that?_

_“I wouldn’t mind…a date.” He said eventually, hugging his arm. He never went on a date before, and a date with him sounded nice._

_He couldn’t ask for anything more._

Avery’s eyes stayed on the mannequin in the clothing store window, displaying a pink dress with ruffles and lace. He forgot how long he had been staring at that display, cringing after a moment and tearing his eyes away.

“Are you sure it’s here?” He wasn’t as annoyed as his voice made it seem, the man turning to look at Dib as he tried to look for a building.

“The address says it’s right here.” Dib looked at his phone again, rechecking the GPS and seeing that they were on it.

Avery rolled his eyes and went over to Dib, grasping the phone from the other’s hands. “You’re not good at this at all, are you?” His voice lacked the vitriol it should have had normally, looking down at the phone. From there his head turned to the block across from them and he could see an alleyway. It wouldn’t be there, would it? “We’re on the wrong side of the street, for one thing.”

Dib blinked, turning his head to where Avery was looking, “Huh.”

“All this for some coffee.” Avery sighed to himself, handing the phone back to him.

“Hey, I heard it was a great place to go.”

“From who?”

“From Damien.” Dib was the first out on the street, Avery right behind him as they ran past before any cars came. “He said it’d be a great place for a first date.”

The word date echoed in Avery’s subconscious and he felt his face go warm, “I wouldn’t trust any advice Duvatt gives you.” He mumbled, the two of them heading into the alleyway. The coffee shop was in between two larger buildings, almost forgettable if you didn’t know where you were going.

Dib smiled widely at the little cafe, “It sounded better than going somewhere public, like the amusement park.”

“I would have killed you if you took me to the amusement park.” Avery breathed, feeling Dib take his hand as the other man led him forward. When they passed through the door Avery found himself stunned. The cafe was bigger on the inside than it was outside, enough room for two dozen or so people. The walls were dark and so were the wooden furnature, everything was built in a cozy manner, with private booths in the back and a bar up front where two other waiters were. There was a theme, they looked to be wearing school uniforms. Dib was grinning from ear to ear, the staff welcoming them with a smile.

“Welcome to Cafe Giuliano Gakuen.” Said the closest waiter, and Avery began to notice that not many people were here, but all the employees were men.

“I’ve never heard of this cafe before, but it’s placed so oddly.” Dib was oblivious, but Avery kept taking in the detail. The place looked too elegant for a hole-in-the-wall cafe, and he wondered why there wasn’t more customers if this place was as popular as Dib said it was. They were led to a booth, and Avery sat on the inside. Another waiter came to the booth, holding menus. Dib and Avery took theirs, opening it up curiously.

Time seemed so slowly stop the longer Avery began to read it, the waiter sitting across from them welcoming them to their school.

“School? I thought this was a cafe.” Dib was still oblivious.

The waiter smiled, another thing Avery took notice in, all the waiters were _young looking and handsome_.

“This is the theme of our cafe, it’s an all boys academy that had recently become a mixed school.” Said the younger man, “My name is Elijah, I’m a sophomore. Now, there are some rules—“

“Rules?”

“There’s a mandatory one drink order plus ten dollars per hour, but you two are new you get ninety minutes! If you wish to extend your time here, it’ll cost you five dollars per half-hour. You’re allowed to take photos of the food and drinks but there are to be no photos of our students…”

Avery’s eyes were on the fine text of the menu, reading “Boys Love Cafe”, hearing his heart pound in his ears instead of the young man reading the rules. He looked directly at Dib, who still was so oblivious. The man didn’t notice Avery’s intent stare boring into his forehead, the man only glancing at the menu. “This is different than any cafe I’ve went to, I never had a time limit.”

The man seemed to catch on that they didn’t know what this place was, “You’ve never been to a Yaoi cafe before?”

Dib blinked, “What’s a Yaoi?”

Avery wanted to hit him… no… the one who deserved all his ire at the moment was _Damien_. He could practically hear the other man laughing even if they weren’t in the same area.

Elijah looked confused, “Ah, it’s a Japanese word for Boys Love—“

All the color drained from Dib’s face, and he looked over at Avery, who was glaring daggers at Dib. “Boys love?” His voice cracked.

“He said this would be great for a first date did he?” Avery bit out, “I’ll be sure to thank him when I decide to visit him while he’s sleeping!”

“Wait—first date?”

The two of them went quiet and the younger man seemed to become excited at the sight of them. “This is your first date?” He looked happy, “It’s so sweet that you decided to choose Cafe Giuliano Gakuen as your first date! Oh, this is a special event!” He got up and quickly left the booth, and Dib looked purely shocked.

“What’s going on?” Dib asked.

“I don’t know, but get out. I want to leave.” Avery hissed out.

“We can’t just leave yet, it’s rude!” Dib argued in a hushed voice, “We’re guests, that guy was so exited—“

“Dib, we’re in a boys love cafe. This is one of Damien’s fetish places.”

“Doesn’t look like a fetish to me, look how nice the place looks.” Dib saw Elijah return to them, holding a cute looking dessert on a plate in one hand and two forks on the other.

“This is on the house, a for-two cake.” He smiled from ear to ear, “Would you like a photo for memories?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Dib and Avery stared each other down, Avery was already flushed in embarrassment at the situation at hand, but Dib wasn’t embarrassed at all, in fact he thought this was a good start to their date.

Elijah took out a polaroid camera and slipped into the seat across from them, “Say cheese!”

Avery did his best not to look like he was about to murder the man.

* * *

_Getting out of the mansion was easier than he thought it’d be, but even if he was out in the real world for the first time, Avery still felt nervous. He walked hand-in-hand with Gabriel, the other leading him along the street. The now green-eyed boy was staring at the ground, feeling eyes all over him. He was wearing that pink dress, with a matching pink ribbon in his hair, white stockings and black mary-janes. He felt like everyone knew he wasn’t really a girl._

_“Everyone’s staring at me.” He said in a small voice, and Gabriel glanced over at Avery, pulling on a smile and stopping to pat his head._

_“They’re just so shocked that you look so pretty, Avrithan.”_

_A dark blush creeped its way to Avery’s cheeks and he looked up at the other boy, feeling more embarrassed that he was considered ‘pretty’. “Am I pretty?”_

_Gabriel leaned closer to kiss the other, a short peck on the lips. “Beautiful.” His grip on the other’s hand tightened, and Gabriel pulled him along. “We’re going to go see a movie.”_

_Avery didn’t know what a movie was, he didn’t know what a lot of things were still, quite new to the world outside of the laboratory walls. Gabriel was allowing him freedom to learn about the world… “What’s a movie?”_

_The boy grinned, “I chose something you’ll enjoy.”_

_The two continued down the street, and Avery followed helplessly as Gabriel led him forward, towards a theatre. Avery looked at the words to the theatre, not understanding French. The letters didn’t look familiar. Instead of going to the ticket counter Gabriel led them into the alleyway instead, finding a side-door and managing to open it. “Shh.” He put his finger to his lips, pulling Avery inside the room._

_The two of them stepped into the main theatre room, already filling with patrons that had paid, most of them being adults. Avery’s eyes were on the tubs of popcorn and the sodas, wondering what they were. He followed Gabriel to a seat in the very back center, sitting next to Gabriel and staying quiet. It wasn’t long until the lights went out and the movie began, and ten minutes in Avery decided that he didn’t like it. The movie was a horror movie, and three people had died already and even more deaths were to come, each one being gruesome and graphic. He felt uncomfortable, squirming in his seat and looking away, trying to block out the blood-curdling screams._

_Gabriel’s hand squeezed his own, “Avrithan. Aren’t you enjoying the movie?” Asked Gabriel, finally looking his way. It was clear that Avery was uncomfortable, but either the boy didn’t notice or care, releasing Avery’s hand to tilt his head back to look at Gabriel._

_“No.” Avery said quietly, and Gabriel only smiled, leaning forward to capture his lips into a kiss._

_“I know how to make you really enjoy it.” The boy whispered in his ear, moving to kiss him again._

Reflecting on his first date versus the one he had just a while ago, the date he had with Dib wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Being forced to watch two boys pretend to kiss each other was far from the realm of a boy in girls clothes forced to get off during a horror movie. He looked at the polaroid photo of him and Dib feeding each other the slice of cake, chuckling to himself. At least the date wouldn’t be forgotten, not by a long shot.

The two of them walked home hand-in-hand, Dib also staring at his own photo. “I think it wasn’t that bad.” He said, “It eventually was a good time.”

“I was forcing myself for your sake.” Avery lied, hiding a smile. “You’re the one who seemed all-too-happy about the experience.”

Dib rolled his eyes, “Remind me to thank Damien later.”

“I know a way to thank Damien,” As he said it Avery’s eye twitched.

“You’re not killing him.”

Avery almost began to laugh, but something struck his senses before it happened, and Avery shoved Dib out of the way, his tendrils whipping out to block the bullet that was intended for Dib’s head.

Dib collided with the pavement and groaned, “Avery what—“

Avery grasped Dib by the arm and pulled him up, taking him to the alleyway. “Someone just tried to shoot you.” He said in a low voice, “Stay there.”

“Avery?” Dib reached out just as Avery darted back out onto the street, “Avery!”

The man’s green eyes perused the buildings on the opposite side of him, spotting an open window to a building that had been condemned. He could see a shadow through the window, and he grit his teeth, making his way to the building as he pulled out his own gun. “Try to shoot him and I’ll make sure you die.” He hissed out, kicking in the door and making his way to the stairs. He took care in entering the next floor, keeping his gun poised and his finger on the trigger as he roamed the mostly empty floor. There were no rooms other than the separate floors, and as Avery made his way to the next set of stairs he could hear footsteps. He ascended the stairwell, the gun in his hands shaking once he could see familiar white hair. His movements slowed to a stop the more the man was visible, and Avery felt his throat become dry.

“Gabriel.”

The man only smiled at him, “First name basis? Oh, Avrithan, I like it when you call me Master more.”

The demon felt the binds coil around him with the name he spoke, stepping up to the floor and only staring at him, “Master.”

Gabriel looked pleased, “That’s more like it.” He settled a hand on the surface of a table, leaning against it, “It’s been so painful ever since you left me. I didn’t know what I did to deserve the abandonment. Bravo for killing my father, by the way, I didn’t ever think you would be able to do pull that off, and the laboratory explosion? Ah, it was lovely. Thankfully I was still in school at the time.”

Avery said nothing, gritting his teeth as he stood there.

“Are you going to stand there all day, Avirthan? Come, come! I’ve missed you.”

The words were a command when coupled with the name that left his lips, and Avery felt the pull, walking over to the man, the gun in his hand almost forgotten. Gabriel only opened his arms, waiting for Avery to be close enough before closing his arms around the demon, reaching up to pet his hair.

“That’s a good boy.” Gabriel whispered, smiling. “I’ve come all this way to find you, you know… it’s a shame too, that I find you here…and you’re sharing your life with a complete stranger.” His voice still remained gentle, but it was anything but, “You promised me that you wouldn’t leave, and here you are, prancing around with some other boy…”

“I apologize, Master.” His voice shook, and Avery couldn’t do anything against him. Not while he used his name.

“All can be forgiven, Avrithan.” Gabriel reached to the gun that was in Avery’s grasp and took it. “You’re back with me, you should be overjoyed. You’re with your master again!” He placed the gun onto the table and moved to cup the other’s face. “Aren’t you happy?”

Avery forced a smile on his face, though they both know it was fake, Gabriel didn’t seem to mind it, leaning forward to kiss him softly. Avery reacted only on reflex, pressing against the kiss and opening his mouth before Gabriel demanded passage, his knees going weak as the other took control and led the kiss further. It didn’t last, however, and Gabriel pulled back, chuckling lightly. “At least your body is still faithful to me…unless that has been tainted as well.”

Overwhelming guilt began to flood through him before he could stop it, but why was he guilty? Everything him and Dib had done was consensual. He was willing. Their interactions were on a whole different level than him and Gabriel. Dib didn’t think about himself first, Dib wasn’t selfish, Dib wanted him to feel comfortable.

Gabriel just wanted control.

“Avrithan,”

Avery braced himself, knowing what was coming next. Gabriel was predictable in this aspect, and the demon lowered himself to his knees before the man could even command it. Gabriel only looked pleased, petting the other’s head. “Good, you still know what I want.”

Avery worked on the other’s pants, pulling them down enough until he was presented with the other’s cock. A wave of sickness passed through Avery’s stomach but he held it back, licking his dry lips and proceeding to take him into his mouth. The man was still petting him, like he was petting an obedient pet.

“You’re so good.” Gabriel praised.

Down below, Dib had managed to find where Avery had gone by the sight of the kicked in door, how it was nearly split from the kick itself. He tensed, because he didn’t have a weapon on him. He never had a weapon on him. He didn’t believe in carrying a weapon, but considering who he worked for and what he was maybe he should be carrying a weapon. His gut churned to think that Avery could have gotten in an altercation, but there wasn’t any gunshots or sirens, so something had happened.

When that bullet came for him he barely had time to react before Avery shoved him down and deflected it. He wanted to know who was trying to shoot him, he needed to know that much.

_“His name is Gabriel Genesis.”_

_“Who?”_

Dib slowly made his way up to the second floor, seeing no one, thankfully, but that meant there was another floor to go. He could hear quiet sounds in the distance, and the queasy feeling stuck with him.

_“He’s the son of the man who raised us.”_ He could remember Avery’s words in his head.

_“What about him?”_ Dib had asked him.

_“I met him when I was ten, he had snuck into the lab without his father’s permission and found me in my containment room. I was told people would be disgusted by the sight of me, but he looked…he looked at me like I was something other than that. I thought I made a friend. Zachariah was away so Gabriel would visit me, he would visit often, when the scientists weren’t looking. He was nice, he wanted to play with me. He treated me like I was normal._

_“He went to a boarding school, so every summer he would come back for me. Eventually he decided to sneak me to his room. He took it upon himself to teach me to read and write, I really thought that he was nice…but he was too nice. He knew my name, my real one. Back then I wasn’t referred to as Avery, but Avrithan. Those who spoke that name had power over me, they could control me.”_

_“Are you sure you should be telling me this?”_

_“I trust you not to use it. He would use it often, when he wanted to get his way. Our relationship wasn’t friendship, it was more of a Master-Slave relationship. He owned me… When we were thirteen he got it into his head to dress me up like a girl. My hair was long then, no one would cut it, and in certain lights I looked feminine. He would buy me dresses, I would dress up for him. He would take me out into the real world…but then he would want to do…things…to me.”_

_“Things?”_

Dib began to hear it, the faint groans and little whispers of praise. He made his way to the stairs, going as quiet as possible. It wasn’t long until he could see it, Avery on his knees, in front of another man, who was petting him like a cat. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the image.

_“Things of a sexual nature.”_ He heard Avery’s voice in his head.

_“You guys were kids!”_

_“Tell him that! He…I don’t know why, he liked it. He liked it especially if there was a chance of people seeing. I couldn’t really say no to any of it, I was always at his mercy. When he discovered what alcohol did to me, it only became worse. I turned into being his pet… he was completely obsessed with me. I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone while we were out in public, looking at people for too long would make him jealous.”_

_“Christ, Avery, if I knew you were that adverse to sex I would have—“_

_“No, you’re okay.”_

Dib felt his gut churn, shying his eyes away from the act and studying the face of the man who was on the receiving end. That was the man.

_“The difference between you and Gabriel is that you don’t want to control me.”_

Dib shut his eyes when he heard Gabriel climax, cringing at the sound. He looked down at his hands, only now wishing that he had a gun. He wanted nothing more than to shoot him, for using Avery as if he were nothing but a toy.

Avery had little to no emotion in his eyes, swallowing what he was given and looking up at Gabriel. The man was staring straight ahead, and Avery blinked, following until he could see him. Dib. Shame flooded his features and he felt sick, did Dib just see him—

“I was waiting.” Gabriel smiled, “So I finally meet the one who assumed they could take what’s mine.”

Dib grit his teeth, making his way onto the floor, “He wasn’t yours. He was never yours.”

Gabriel chuckled, “Really? Avrithan thinks differently, don’t you?”

Avery winced as he felt the binds bare down on him. He sighed, standing back up and standing with Gabriel, choosing not to say anything.

“I guess he doesn’t even want to speak to you.” Gabriel mused, “You must be a piss-poor replacement for him to ignore so easily.”

“He’s not talking because he knows I know the truth, you asshole. He told me all about you.” Dib stepped forward, “Avery I’m not mad, I know you didn’t have a choice.”

When Avery continued to stare at Dib, Gabriel became frustrated. “What makes you think you can replace me? I know Avrithan more than you do.”

“Oh, do you really think so?” Dib folded his arms, “Do you know that he’s socially inept and can’t talk to people? Do you know he used to smoke to calm himself down? He would drink ten cups of coffee per day because he refused to sleep, because sleeping led him to remember you and that horrible life he had. Did you know he would collapse randomly out of exhaustion and the only reason he worked so hard was to make sure no one found out his secret, that he’d remove every trail he would find just to keep him and Runa safe from _you_.”

Avery felt his heart pound in his ears, swallowing thickly.

Dib’s expression softened, “I also know that he likes to listen to classical music, that he hates cats. He loves espressos even if I’ve cut off his caffeine intake, he still sneaks to the coffee shop to have them. He loves to read, and owns the biggest classical literature collection I’ve ever seen, and when he sleeps he looks so innocent…” He gave Avery a smile.

Gabriel glanced at Avery, seeing the subtile change in his expression, the other having clenched a fist to his chest. He felt a surge of jealousy shoot up his spine and he glared at Dib, “What you know, what he is, was created because of _me_. I introduced him to music, to literature, to all the things he knows about today. I was the one who brought him out to the real world, I’m the one who made him human. You had nothing to do with anything, you’re just an insignificant little speck that has no place or meaning in Avrithan’s life, because his life is dedicated to mine.”

“It sounds to me like you’re the one who’s desperately trying to keep a hold of something that’s not there, while Avery has fully moved on. Just because your relationship held so much weight to it, doesn’t mean it was a _good one_.”

That jealousy transformed into rage, and Gabriel grabbed the gun that was on the table. “I should just kill you right now…” He paused, thinking, a slow smile overtaking his face as he decided on something else. “Actually, no. I’m not going to kill you.”

Avery breathed a sigh of relief, until Gabriel held the gun in front of him.

“Avrithan.”

His heart was thundering and Avery felt his throat dry again, taking the gun from the other’s grip. He stared at it, knowing what the man was going to ask of him.

“Shoot him in the head.”

Dib stilled, his own panic starting to show. He stared at Avery, then at the gun, watching as Avery, with a look of anguish on his face, began to direct it at Dib. He tried to think, his own thoughts running a hundred miles per minute, until an idea popped into his head.

_I’m sorry Avery_ , Dib thought. “Avrithan, shoot Gabriel!”

Avery’s eyes widened and he felt those telltale binds pull him, and just like that his allegiance was swayed and he turned on Gabriel.

Gabriel flinched, raising his hands, “Avrithan—you’re raising your weapon against your Master. I gave you a command, don’t listen to _him_!”

Avery looked from Dib back to Gabriel, his grip on the gun becoming steady. “You don’t understand, do you? If two people try to hold power over me, I choose the one with the closest bond.”

Gabriel took a step back, seeing the determination and fire in Avery’s eyes, “Avrithan, we—“

“There is no _we_.” With that, Avery pulled the trigger. The bullet launched itself, colliding into Gabriel’s chest. He let out a strangled cry and collapsed to the floor. Avery felt the binds finally release him and he breathed out a sigh, lowering his arm. He turned to Dib and slowly smiled. “Sorry to ruin our date.”

Dib ran over to him, nearly tackling him as he clung to Avery, “I’m just so fucking happy that worked.” He breathed, “Did you mean it?”

Avery put his gun back into his coat, “Mean what?”

“That our bond is strong.”

He thought about it for a moment, leaning in to kiss Dib’s forehead. “You know me enough to figure it out yourself, do you?”

Dib reached down to take his hand, leading him back to the stairway. “Just for that we’re going to get you an espresso.”

There was a laugh as they descended the steps, the two of them leaving the building as if Avery just didn’t shoot a man.

Yet by the time the police showed up, the body was gone.


	9. Epilogue

It was one of those rare moments when Domino left the safety of the club, but given the power he held in the city, no one tried anything. There was something about Domino that humans didn’t understand. They claimed him to be an enigma, someone who couldn’t be shot down easily. He was the definition of untouched, when in reality it was because he was an Irken in disguise, where gunshots couldn’t penetrate a shield and poison was something his kind was immune to. Irkens were sturdier than humans. If an Irken was shot in the head with an earth gun, they would be in terrible pain, but they would live to see the next day. Thankfully humans couldn’t fathom laser technology, where guns would actually become lethal if they were to be marketed to the masses.

He stepped up to the abandoned garage and looked it over. The exterior made it seem like it was nothing more than a simple concrete building that had been condemned, but his scanners told him differently. There was more to the building than what was on the surface. If it weren’t for Zim’s information, then he wouldn’t have noticed that another Irken had built their base on the other end of the city.

The Kasbah was more than a brothel, no one ever knew to check the lower recesses of the building.

He had to give it to Red, the Irken was able to hide fairly well for being someone who’s never undergone Invader training. Domino was only lucky on his part, having stolen the correct ship before making his way out to this planet. He had everything he needed when he first landed on Earth. Though, if Red wasn’t so eager to see Zim dead then he probably wouldn’t have been discovered so quickly. Domino knew Red personally, he was the most impatient asshole he had ever met, with a heavy sense of entitlement to go with it.

He was perfect to be a Tallest.

Domino proceeded to knock on the door, folding his arms and waiting. Actually, this was mostly his fault for not noticing Red’s height to begin with. It should have tipped him off, but never would Domino ever imagine that Tallest Red would have come down to Earth to pay Zim a visit. Something must have happened to the Massive or the planet Irk for him to abandon his people and roam across the universe to look for Zim.

When the door opened, Domino was presented with the human known as Crimson, though this time the man was sporting a back eyepatch over his left eye. Red was a little shocked that Domino was standing at his door, looking around for anyone else, and wondering if this was because of Zim.

Domino shoved Red aside to enter the base, taking one look at the interior and rolling his eyes. It looked like an Irken bachelor pad. “Why are you here?” He asked.

Red stared at Domino, “You’re the one who knocked on my door!” He shouted.

The darker man turned around, eyeing Red though his disguise, “You know what I mean, Red.”

_“Domie~”_

The door shut immediately, Red staring blankly at Domino as the name flashed though his head, “D-Dom?”

Domino shut his disguise off, giving Red a sardonic smile, “Why are you on my planet?”

Red’s own disguise dissolved away, exposing the fact that he was still missing his left eye. “Zim told you, didn’t he?”

“Well no, a little fairy came to me in the middle of the night and whispered into my antennae about another Irken base that took up residence across the—No fucking shit he told me!” Domino snapped, “Why are you on Earth, Red? Where’s Purple, don’t tell me he’s here too, getting a dozen doughnuts or some shit like that.”

Red winced at the mention of Purple, the Irken gritting his teeth, “Purple’s dead, Dom.”

That caught Domino off-guard, “What?”

“Dead, dead, they’re all _dead_!” Red shouted, “Either dead or captured, the control brains are dead, Purple’s dead, the planet was overtaken by the Resisty!” He shouted, coming to a realization, “You’re the second Irken signal I found on this craphole—it was you, wasn’t it?”

Domino’s antennae flattened, “What?”

“It was a joint effort between you and Zim, wasn’t it? A way to get back at us for mistreating the two of you! That had to be it—“

“Red I haven’t set foot off this planet in seven years.” Domino interrupted him, “Is that why you’re here, you assumed it was Zim and I who had a hand in this?”

“There can’t be any other explanation—“

“Zim has been here in my city for at least a year now, he’s been working under me for a good amount of time. Before that I assume he was in the north east.” He stopped before he could continue, “Okay, first off, explain to me what exactly do you think Zim had done?”

“He snuck himself onto the Massive and planted explosives all over the ship and set them off, killing almost all of my people! Don’t you try not to deny his involvement either because we caught him on security footage leaving the scene!”

Domino kept his arms folded, “Was he short or tall?”

“Short.”

The darker Irken was about to say something but he withheld it, “When did this happen?”

“A little over two sweeps ago. It had to be Zim, because only he would want to get back at us for—“ Red caught himself, and so did Domino. The Irken quirked an antennae.

“Get back at you for what, exactly?” Domino tapped his foot against the flooring, and Red looked irritated. No, Domino wouldn’t have known what had happened all this time. He began to explain what had happened, and what they did, how he and Purple basically made a fool out of Zim for the latter part of six sweeps before telling him that his mission was a complete farce.

Domino only stared at Red listlessly, “If he did do it then I wouldn’t have blamed him in the slightest.” He began, making Red’s eye twitch, “But I highly doubt he did.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Think about who Zim is for a second.” Domino moved to sit himself on the edge of a table. “Really think about him. Is he the type to do something detrimental to you and _not_ take credit for it and rub it in your face?”

Red thought long and hard about it, reflecting back onto New Years Eve, when Zim didn’t even once mention the explosion or anything of the sort. “He would have gloated and then laughed in my face.”

Domino quirked a grin. “I can vouch for his presence here on Earth for the past year, when he came to me he seemed pretty beaten down and desperate for validation…I’m guessing that’s when you decided to humiliate him.”

It was amazing how the accusations had turned around onto Red so quickly, and he frowned, “The security cameras…”

Domino had a good idea about who it would have been who framed Zim for this, but he didn’t feel like throwing the poor little Irken under the bus. The last thing he wanted was for Red to kill Khan. “So, the Resisty used that moment to hold an uprising.”

Red hated thinking about it, but Domino didn’t care. “Do you honestly think that taking over other planets and enslaving their people wouldn’t go by without a response? I have no sympathy for you at all, everything the Empire had done was met with justice.”

“How can you say that when millions of our own kind was lost?” Red growled out, “Have you no honor?”

“Excuse me but do you remember my stance on the Empire? Do you remember that I left it before I could be made Tallest? I was no longer a part of them, I’ve made my home on this planet and I’m doing pretty well thank-you-very-much.”

Everything about Domino pissed Red off, from the fact that he felt no remorse for losing his own people to the fact that he was the one holding all the power on this planet. If Zim wasn’t the one who had set off the initial explosions on the Massive then he was back to square one with nothing to do and nowhere to go. He was a rogue Irken without a home or people to rule over. He was nothing at this point.

_“I’m nothing. I rather like being nothing.”_

So was she…

If he had anything on this entire planet, then he had Her. He didn’t give a shit if she was Zim’s kismet, he was more entitled to her than he was.

“So what are you going to do?” Red asked then, “Since this is your planet, are you going to imprison me and make my life miserable?”

Domino thought about it, “I’m not going to do anything, Red.”

Red frowned, “What?”

“I don’t like kicking someone while he’s already down.” Domino explained, “I may be close to owning this entire planet but I’m not going to become the leader that you were, that would just be stupid. There’s enough room for the two of us.”

Red thought that Domino would have at least gotten back at Red for all those sweeps that he and Purple took to tormenting him, so why was he being so kind? “Even despite what I’ve done to you in the past?”

“Here’s a secret, Red.” Domino stepped over to him, “Holding grudges isn’t good for you, and do yourself a favor and get yourself a prosthetic eye.” He made his way to the door, “For your sake, you best not go near Saffron ever again, I won’t feel bad when Zim decides to decapitate you.”

“I’m not giving up.” Red told him, “She’s better off with me.”

Domino turned back to him, “Is that your emotions telling you that or your sense of entitlement?”

When there wasn’t an answer Domino turned around again and proceeded to leave the building. Red was alone again, and back to his thoughts.

There was a loophole when it came to kismets, that in the event of separation and time, the female would be up for grabs if the male went missing, as they’d be presumed dead. If he couldn’t kill Zim, then perhaps he would have to just…go away.

He had nothing else to live for at this point. He rather live his life by being nothing.

She was perfect company for that.

* * *

It was long after Domino had left that Red decided to go visit Gabriel again. He hadn't visited him since the last time, when Gabriel told him Runa’s name. He entered the club without a word, though when he made his way to the office he noticed something was different.

Gabriel looked less than happy. No, Gabriel looked pissed off and unpleasant. When Red walked through the doors the other man scowled at him, enraged.

”I told you to wait before attacking Zim, you decided to blow your cover, all for your petty vengeance. WE HAD A DEAL.”

Red watched on, noticing how the man was feeling his own chest, as if it ached. ”I couldn't stand by and watch him pull Runa into his delusions. I did what I had to.”

Gabriel snorted, ”I see you’re one eye short of a whole set, is that because of Zim or because of _Runa_?”

Red bared his teeth, not wanting to talk about it. ”You lack your usual calm.” he noted. ”What we're you doing that has unsettled you?”

The man looked away, ”Nothing.” He lied, ”Nothing. I think our time together has come to an end.” Gabriel snapped his fingers, and the two bodyguards at the door advanced onto Red.

Red didn't move, still starting at Gabriel. ”You honestly think you can dispose of me that easily? What happened to our agreement?”

”The agreement was killed once you attacked Zim prematurely. Because of that Domino is more aware of outside influences. You have been made, and I refuse to let myself be linked to you because of your negligence.” When he saw the two bodyguards grasp him Gabriel pointed at Red. ”Dispose of him. He is of no use to me.”

Though, when they tried to move Red, he wouldn’t budge. The one-eyed Irken only glared scathingly at Gabriel, growling.

“You outed yourself, did you?”

Gabriel’s eye twitched, and he pulled out a gun. “Take him OUT OF HERE.”

Red still wouldn’t budge, and when the bodyguards attempted to grapple him, Red in one fluid motion swept their feet out from under them before slamming his elbow into their backs. “You lecture me for acting too prematurely but you’re the one who did that yourself, did you?” He hissed out, “You’re projecting your own fault onto me when you KNEW what I was here for!”

The blonde got up, grabbing the gun. “Perhaps I’m just going to kill you myself, that’ll stop you from talking.” He aimed at Red and pulled the trigger.

The ex-Tallest only stood there, the bullet being repelled by his own forcefield. Gabriel paled, firing again.

Outside of the room, Liam Langley was twitching from the sounds of gunshots, stopping the trolley he was taking to the office that possessed a chess set and a bottle of liquor. He sighed, deciding to wait, leaning against a wall when he began to hear muffled sounds of a struggle. When there was a sound of glass breaking he winced, hearing faint screaming coming from the club below. His eyebrows shot up into his hair and he turned the corner towards the office, only to see Red proceeding to leave, his arm covered in blood. Liam paled at the sight of him, his fingers twitching as he looked from Red to the office, “Mate?”

Red causally looked over at Liam, smiling cooly. “I’d leave if I were you, doesn’t look pretty.”

There were faint sounds of sirens in the distance, and Liam swallowed thickly, nodding before heading to his own office.

Red stood there, watching the British man leave, his eyes going to the bottle of liquor on the trolley. Without a word he snatched it up and made his way out of the club.

END(?)


End file.
